Of Fire
by FeiFei08
Summary: A child was born to the princess of the Fire Nation, a miracle that has the spirit world rejoicing. But will Azula accept the child that is hers or will her Ty Lee leave with the child and never return? And what is her purpose in this world?
1. Chapter 1

Of Fire

Chapter 1

She stood, leaning against the railing of her balcony, glaring at the vibrant city in front of her, the lamps on the streets eating the silver rays of the room. Her golden eyes mere slits as she glowered at the people in the city, people she couldn't see. It was one of them. She knew it, without a doubt. It was one of those men in that city, unaware of what they had done. But they would be, once she found them. The man who did it would know what he had caused, would feel the pain and fury she refused to show. It would be a slow process, she decided, a malevolent grin tugging at her lips. Oh, she would enjoy it.

Footsteps coming up to her from behind drew her from her musings and she turned to face the intruder. She looked at the form of her brother, both staring and not speaking. He sighed first and broke the eye contact, not noticing her grin. He ran a rough hand against the back of his neck and stated, "The Fire Sages and the fortune teller agree, it's…"

"How," she interrupted. "How could it be? It's not even physically possible, brother. I'll have nothing to do with it." She said finally, turning her back to her brother to cast her glare upon the city once more.

"Then will you…" he hesitated but she knew what he meant.

"No," she answered, "I would not ask that of her."

"Do you think that she...?"

She chuckled at his inability to finish a sentence. "No, I do not think that. If nothing else she's stupidly loyal to me, she wouldn't do it willingly."

He sighed again, "Azula, this is Ty Lee we're talking about, do you think someone could take advantage of her like that, or be willing to face your wrath if they did. Despite everything you're still very much feared."

She smirked, even being insane for a couple of years after the war hadn't stopped the people of the Fire Nation from fearing her. Azula's smirk faded and she turned to her brother, "What are you saying, Zuko?"

"Look." He started, walking towards her a little. "I don't know how this happened, but both the sages and the fortuneteller can't be wrong. Ty Lee's pregnant with your child."

Her hawk eyes glared at him, "That abomination is not mine!" she turned away from him again.

Zuko sighed, turned and walked back to the balcony door. "Believe what you like, Azula, but maybe the gods have more in store for you. Taking care of a child that carries your bloodline could be the greatest thing you'd ever know."

Azula scoffed but said nothing as her brother left. 'The gods,' she thought. 'Are only out to take what is mine.'

'That's not true,' a young voice unlike any other she had ever heard, but seemed so familiar, echoed in her head.

The princess of the Fire Nation turned quickly in a defensive stance, ready to fight off the intruder. But there was nothing. Cautiously, the prodigy eyed her surroundings. Finding no one, she relaxed slightly out of her stance, turning back to the city and shaking her head. She thought she had stopped hearing voices. "Azula." A timid voice she recognized came from behind her.

The Princess turned to her lover, her wife, the one person who never left her even when she was mad, and met her sad grey eyes. "Ty Lee," Azula intoned.

Ty Lee swallowed hard as her gaze touched the ground at Azula's feet. "I'm sorry," she said lightly. "I don't know how this happened. I've only ever been with you." Large tears formed at the corners of her large eyes. Azula frowned; she hated seeing her woman cry. "I swear, there was no one else."

Azula embraced her lover, unable to stop herself from smiling as the acrobat clung to her. A frown quickly replaced the smile as she thought about the monster that grew inside her lover. "I don't blame you." Azula said simply, being careful of her tone. 'I blame it.' "It will be okay."

"You won't make me leave?" Ty Lee asked as she dared to look up at the princess.

Azula smiled slightly, placing a well-manicured hand on the shorter woman's cheek. "Of course not, I love you." She kissed Ty Lee lightly then pulled her back into the room, closing the door behind them.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Of Fire

Chapter 2

The months that followed were too slow and somehow too fast to count. Azula watched as the monster grew inside her woman. She had done her research on the changes Ty Lee would be experiencing; she was nothing if not diligent. Against her better judgment, Azula even asked Mai what she went through when she was pregnant with her son, Lu Ten. After days of studying, she felt safe that she knew the things that Ty Lee was supposed to go through, everything from the odd cravings to the lack of energy to the achiness. It was true she didn't care for the thing growing in her woman but she still loved Ty Lee, and she would be there for her when she needed her most.

But as months past Ty Lee showed no symptoms. There were no cravings, no swelling of the feet, no morning sickness. Her breasts and butt, along with her waist line, did grow larger. Also, her hair grew faster and silkier, but that was all. Her appetite did grow, but that was only normal. She was feeding two, after all. And as the time grew closer for the thing to be born, Ty Lee seemed have more energy than she did before her pregnancy. It baffled everyone; it seemed that Ty Lee got all the pros and none of the cons out of being pregnant. What the hell was going on? Most left the subject alone, but Azula poured over scrolls to try to find the solution. There were no documentations of this ever happening in the whole history of the Fire Nation or any other civilization known to man, it seemed. Ty Lee had informed her ex-captain, the Kyoshi warrior, of her pregnancy. A couple of days after that it seemed that all of 'team avatar' plus their collective three little rug rats (Azula didn't bother to remember their names) were in the palace congratulating the young mother-to-be. Azula had been present when Ty lee explained the circumstances of her pregnancy and about her symptoms – or lack thereof. The group looked just as baffled as everyone else had, all except Aang. A light seemed to go off in the Avatar's head when Ty Lee finished explaining, but he said nothing about it and only congratulated Azula. For her part, Azula scoffed and rolled her eyes.

And when that day finally came, the day the monster was to be brought into the world, a storm broke in the Fire Nation capital like none other in the history of the world. Lightning cracked the very sky in large white lines, scarring the earth when it touched. Thunder shook the ground like an earthquake, causing the smaller houses of the lower class, middle class and business district to crumble in on themselves. And the houses that remained standing were mercilessly pelted with hail the size of baseballs.

Azula watched the weather outside from the safety of the birthing room, the dark ominous clouds twirling around one another. The window in front of her shook as thunder roared in the sky. It was a premonition of the thing that would be born today, a bad one. Ty Lee laid on the bed, her legs spread, Mai standing beside her, looking bored but still holding Ty Lee's hand. The acrobat's water had broken an hour ago; the same time the sky broke out with a vengeance. "Azula!" Ty Lee called, reaching out her free hand to her wife.

Azula turned from the window and walked over to Ty Lee, taking her hand as the younger woman smiled up at her. The midwife had informed them that the contractions were getting longer, but Ty Lee felt no pain, gave no sign of discomfort. The only thing Ty Lee was worried about was the weather. Lightning struck the ground in the palace garden, temporally filling the room as the midwife told Ty to push. The reverberating sound of thunder filled the air as the creature was pulled into this world. And there was silence.

A bundle was shoved into Azula's unwilling hands, looking down as the monster in her arms cried, but no sound offered forth from its lips. It stopped making the motion of crying and looked up at her with large golden eyes. She had looked in the mirror long enough to know the royal golden hue of her eyes, a color no one other than the royal family had. A color she shared with the thing in her arms. Her lips twitched in disgust as she handed the thing to its mother and walked out of the room. Ty Lee cradled the baby to her chest and watched as her wife stalked out of the room. Mai was the only one who noticed that the baby's golden eyes did the same, following Azula as she left, and she didn't say anything.

Ty Lee sighed sadly and leaned back against the pillows she was laying on, looking out the window at the clearing sky as the sun filtered through the window. Her grey eyes turned back to the baby as its small hand fisted into her pink silk shirt, and she smiled. "It's a girl." The midwife announced as she lightly patted Ty Lee's hand.

The young mother nodded as the midwife smiled and left the room. Mai examined the child closely as Ty Lee held her. "What will you name her?" Mai's monotone voice asked as her hand ventured out to run her fingers gently through the baby's short, stark white hair.

Again Ty Lee sighed, "I was going to let Azula name her, but I don't think she'll want to." Mai nodded. The baby closed her eyes and nuzzled against her mother. Ty Lee thought for a second for a name.

'Detia.' The name echoed in Ty Lee's mind, from where she had no idea, but she liked that name and smiled.

"Detia." She said aloud with a smile as she looked down at her daughter. "I'll name you Detia."

"Detia?" Mai repeated with only a small smile as a knock rang on the door.

Both women looked at the door as it was opened by an old water bending man, the doctor. He smiled warmly at them and replied, "Hello, there. Strange weather we're having." He chuckled then his face turned serious quickly. "The midwife said that your new baby may have some problems."

"Problems?" Ty Lee looked at her child with a confused expression. "What kind of problems?"

"It may be nothing, may I see the child?" he asked as he held out his hands.

Tentatively, Ty Lee handed Detia to him, waking the baby from her little nap. The child wrinkled her nose but made no sound. Carefully, the doctor checked the baby, spending a little bit longer at her neck than Ty Lee liked, then sighed as he handed her back to her mother. "Is there something wrong with her?" Ty Lee asked worriedly, looking down into her daughter's bright golden eyes.

Again the doctor sighed. "I'm afraid she's mute." He announced lightly.

"Mute?" Ty Lee exclaimed. "Can you cure her?"

The doctor shook his head, "I'm afraid not; the damage to her vocal cords is too severe for me to heal. I'm sorry."

The acrobat looked down at her daughter, who had fallen asleep again. 'It could be worse.' Ty Lee thought to herself with a defeated sigh. 'Though this won't sit well with Azula.'

Grey eyes looked to the door where her wife had exited. Despite how the princess tried to hide her feelings for the child from her, Ty Lee knew. She had hoped that once the child was born Azula would come to her senses and realize that the child was hers. For a second, as Azula held the baby and the two's eyes met, Ty Lee noticed a softening of Azula's hawk eyes. That alone sparked a small flame of hope in the acrobat. But this news that Detia was mute would not help the child's chances with Azula. Ty Lee already knew Azula would use this flaw in the child as a reason to deny her.

She sighed, "Thank you Doctor that will be all."

The doctor nodded, though he had more to say. He was smart enough to see that the young mother needed time to think.

"Will you be okay?" Mai asked, reading her best friend's feelings easily.

The acrobat nodded, nuzzling her daughter, "I'll be okay. I'm just tired," she lied terribly, but Mai didn't call her on it. "I'm sure your son and husband are waiting on news; you know how excited they were. Could you tell them for me?"

Mai nodded with a slight smile, "Sure."

It had amused Mai that, as Ty Lee's child grew inside her, her husband seemed to be thrilled to be an uncle. Almost as thrilled as he was when he found out he would be a father. And of course, because he was so excited their son, Lu Ten, was just as excited. Lu Ten often informed his family that he couldn't wait to have someone other than his dad to play with. Not that his dad was bad or anything. Though the small boy would be disappointed that his cousin was a girl and not a boy, but Mai was sure it would only dampen his spirits for a second before becoming excited again. The Fire Lady patted her best friend's hand before leaving the room, again noticing as Ty Lee forced a smile for her sake.

Exhaling deeply, Ty Lee laid completely on her back, staring up at the ceiling as she felt her daughter's heart thump evenly against her chest. Her eyes slipped closed, fighting back the tears and praying to whatever gods or spirits who would listen that her daughter wouldn't grow up unloved by her other mother. The small baby patted her shoulder slightly – as if reading her thoughts – the pressure barely felt over her clothes. Ty Lee laughed lightly at the gesture, patting the child's back lightly in return. "It'll be okay, Detia," Ty Lee whispered. "I'll think of something."

~x~

Night fell quickly over the Fire Nation. Detia was safely placed in the crib in her room, sleeping soundly as far as anyone could tell. Ty Lee slept restlessly beside Azula, tossing and turning as her fears manifested in her dreams. Azula feigned sleep, unable to rest with her lover moving around so harshly. Though, she was also unable to find it in herself to pull the acrobat against her and tell her everything would be okay. "No, Azula, she's…" Ty Lee mumbled in her restless sleep, giving the Fire Nation General an idea of what her wife was dreaming about.

The princess had promised never to lie to Ty Lee and she was going to keep that promise, even if Ty Lee was only dreaming, which is why she didn't comfort the woman. Suddenly, a shrill little wail rang through the walls, causing both women to shoot up in bed wide awake. "I thought you said it was mute." Azula scowled and covered her ears, though it did nothing to drown out the sound.

"I did." Ty Lee replied as she slid out of bed.

Azula grabbed her wife's wrist. "Come back to bed, the wet nurse will get her, that's what she was hired for."

"But," Ty Lee offered weakly, "she's crying."

Azula's golden eyes met Ty Lee's grey ones, silently pleading with her wife. "Let her cry." Once the words left her mouth Azula knew she should have phrased that differently. If she didn't already know that, the uncharacteristically cross look on Ty Lee's face as she wrenched her hand free was a big clue. "Ty Lee, that's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant, Azula." Ty Lee replied and walked to the door. "But she's our daughter."

Azula bit down on her tongue to stop herself from correcting her lover and averted her gaze to the bed. That thing was in no way a part of her. She heard the acrobat sigh and open the door to their room. With a heavy mind the Princess of the Fire Nation fell back to the bed and tried to get some sleep. The crying had stopped shortly after Ty Lee left the room, but she didn't return. And after three hours of waiting, Azula finally got up to see what was taking her so long. Making sure her robe was correctly secured, she left her room and headed to where it was staying.

The door to Detia's room was closed, but Azula dare not knock for fear of waking it up again. So, she opened the door slowly, and as light from the low candles filtered into the room, a pair of large, innocent golden eyes met hers and she froze, only for a second. Azula stared back at the baby, who was curled up on her sleeping mother's chest. She broke contact first as she examined her sleeping lover. Finding that she was fine, Azula turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

~x~

A week passed. Ty Lee had started her stretches again, quickly losing the fat being pregnant produced. Whenever Azula saw her she would notice the monster sitting in a small baby chair not far from her, watching with rapt interest as Ty Lee's body bent in an almost unnatural way. It would giggle happily as Ty Lee walked towards her on her hands, her feet resting soundly on her shoulders, and Azula would scoff and storm off.

Though the days were calm, the nights were another thing. In the early hours of the morning, that wretched little parasite would cry, and apparently, no one but Azula and Ty Lee could hear it. They had woken the wet nurse once when Detia was crying, and the older woman couldn't hear a thing. On the very last day of the week, while both adults were sleeping, the familiar cry woke them with a start. Ty Lee groaned. "Azula," she complained groggily, "you go get her."

"What!" Azula almost hissed.

"Please." Ty Lee whined. "I'm so tired."

Azula groaned, knowing it was true. Her wife had over-exerted herself that day, pushed her limits further than what she should have and somehow ended up on the ground unconscious. Unfortunately, the only one with her at the time was Detia. Azula, who was in a meeting sitting at her brother's right, had heard Detia's shrill little wail and ignored it as best she could, which was pretty well. It stopped after a minute, and Azula almost sighed. The princess started to say something to one of the other generals in the meeting when her head suddenly felt like it was splitting apart and an image of Ty Lee on the ground, accompanied with the panic and fear that was not her own, caused her to scream as she held her head, gritting her teeth to stop from screaming again. 'Help' the one word voiced by the disembodied person she had heard the day they found out about Detia echoed through her head.

Everything was silent when the image and voice and feelings went away. She found herself on her hands and knees, breathing erratic, blood dripping from her nose. She ignored it and the stares from everyone in the room as she stood; steadying herself on her brother's shoulder before bolting to the garden she had seen Ty Lee in earlier that day – Zuko right behind her. Faster than even she thought was possible, Azula made it to the garden. She didn't see Ty Lee anywhere but a much softer voice than the one before, but still the same person speaking, said, 'behind the trees' and that's where Azula ran.

She found Detia first, almost allowing amusement to show on her face when relief washed over the baby's features. Ty Lee was on the ground, unconscious but breathing. Azula rushed to her wife, lifting her head slightly while calling to her. Ty Lee didn't respond. 'Will she be okay?' the voice asked.

"She'll be fine." Azula answered aloud.

"Who are you talking to?" Zuko asked worriedly as he approached his little sister with two guards flanking him. "Spirits, what happened?" he exclaimed when he noticed Ty Lee's prone form on the ground.

Azula shrugged and picked her wife up easily as she eyed the baby, whose golden eyes never left her own. That little monster was smarter than she let on. She broke eye contact and looked towards her brother. "Why are you just standing there!" she yelled at him and the two guards, all three tensing visibly. "She needs a doctor!"

The two guards saluted and quickly ran off to retrieve a doctor. Zuko only sighed, saying nothing as Azula walked towards the castle, completely ignoring the baby. Smiling down at the one-week-old, he knelt and rubbed her head. "Mommy's going to be okay," he said reassuringly as he gently picked her up out of the chair then followed his baby sister.

The doctor hadn't said much, but ordered Ty Lee to take it easy for a few days and to get a lot of sleep. While Ty Lee slept and Mai took Detia, Azula thought about the voice she heard and the little monster. Azula was by no means a stupid person, and she could put two and two together better than most. She knew without a doubt that she was no longer crazy; she hadn't heard a single voice for well over a year until the day they found out about Detia. And apparently, the little demon could speak with her mind. True, the only thing she had done was cry, but it wasn't a far stretch to believe that the week-old child could do more than cry. Then there were the relief and facial expressions that a baby that young shouldn't be able to do so clearly. It wasn't hard for Azula to realize the frightened voice she had heard was that of the little monster.

So now, at about four in the morning, Azula threw her legs over the side of the bed. She reasoned that she did owe the brat a thank you. If it wasn't for her, Ty Lee could have gone missing for hours before someone found her. She stroked her wife's cheek lightly, causing the younger woman to smile. "What if she's hungry?" Azula asked.

"She's not." Ty Lee said in such a reassuring, final tone that Azula almost believed her.

Azula snorted, but Detia's wail stopped whatever she was going to say and she stood. "I'm coming," she said angrily as she stormed out of her room to the baby's.

Before entering, she breathed deeply, pushing the door open. The little monster's eyes glowed when the firelight touched them. Azula walked over to the crib, picking Detia up and holding her at arm's length. Detia's wails calmed slowly till they stopped altogether, and the two just stared at each other. "Well," Azula started and looked around for something to sit on.

Easily, she spotted a small white couch and walked towards it, still caring the baby at arm's length. She sat uneasily, slowly placing the baby on her knee, and refusing to admit that she didn't know how to hold a baby. With a flick of her fingers, Azula lit the many candles, turning the room a light blue before the fires cooled to an orange color. Detia watched in wide-eyed amazement as Azula did this. The firebender looked down and almost smiled at the baby's wide eyes. "This does not change anything between us." Azula replied, getting the little monster to look up at her. "I'm only here because Ty Lee needs her sleep." The baby made a sound much like a disheartened mumble of agreement. "Also, what happened today when Ty Lee fainted, don't you ever do that again." A small white eyebrow lifted slightly. "Don't give me that look. You know very well what you did." The little monster nodded very slightly. "Good. Now, this is what I want you to do." She paused. "At night, we need our sleep, and you need to stop waking us up. Tell me now why you feel the need to cry every night."

Innocent golden eyes looked up at the woman who should be her mother and a small voice replied, 'nightmares.'

"Nightmares?" Azula repeated and the child almost nodded. "You wake us up early in the morning because you have nightmares? I'm guessing you want to be comforted?" Again the monster nodded, almost. "I see." There wasn't really much she could do to stop the nightmares. "Well, then just try not to wake us up unless you absolutely must." The monster confirmed. "Good. Now, I'm going to put you back in your crib, and you're going to go sleep and, I don't know, think happy thoughts." The princess said with a roll of her eyes.

Detia did not reply or move as Azula placed her back into the crib, covering her with the silk red cover and turned away. "Go to sleep," she said firmly before leaving the baby in the crib, flicking her wrist to snuff out the candles.

The princess returned to bed, slipping under the silk covers and pulling Ty Lee against her. "That was fast." The sleepy acrobat replied as she turned, wrapping her arms around Azula's thin waist.

"Of course." Azula replied. "Go to sleep."

The acrobat nodded slightly, confirming with a soft sweet 'mm' sound.

~x~

After that day, Ty Lee assumed – wrongly – that Azula had warmed up to Detia, if only a little. Azula had not, and though the princess would occasionally comfort the little monster late at night when she cried, which only happened about once a week if not less now, she felt no attachment to the baby. But that didn't stop Ty Lee from hoping. She kept telling herself if Azula spent enough time with Detia that she would realize how much they were alike. Azula constantly refused to spend this time with the child, always having something 'better' or 'more important' to do.

Six months, six slow months passed in this fashion. Ty Lee was losing hope fast. The acrobat was sitting with Mai, watching Lu Ten play with his baby cousin. Lu Ten put his hands over his eyes and removed them quickly, saying, "Peek-a-boo." A smooth white eyebrow lifted at him, innocent golden eyes clearly saying what she thought of her older cousin. "Aw, come on Detia," the little boy complained.

Detia tilted her head slightly, then reached over from her sitting potion and smacked her cousin on the forehead. He fell back dramatically and groaned, rubbing his head. "And Azula thinks Detia isn't hers?" Mai questioned as she watched the scene before her with a half-smile. Ty Lee nodded. "They're so much alike."

"I know," Ty Lee remarked and giggled as Detia made the motion of laughing, though Ty Lee could hear the sound in her head, at Lu Ten's actions.

The little boy had stood, looming over the small baby with a mock cross expression on his face. "I'm crown prince of th-" he started and she threw a small rubber ball at him, hitting him square in the head.

He fell over again, which only caused her to laugh harder. "She has good aim, too." Mai noted.

"Mom!" Lu Ten whined. "You're not supposed to be taking her side."

Mai smiled. "I'm not. I'm merely stating a fact."

The boy frowned; then suddenly his expression lit up as he stood and ran into another room, coming back with a basket. He placed it about three feet away from Detia, who was looking at him curiously. He smiled, picking up a couple of balls that lay around the floor, before sitting down beside his cousin. Lu Ten handed her a small ball and she took it, barely able to wrap both of her hands around it. "All right, Detia," he said. "We're going to play a game. Let's see who can get the ball in the basket the most without missing." Detia blinked and put the ball in her mouth. Lu Ten quickly took it from her, "No Detia, you have to throw it in the basket, like this." He tossed the ball at the basket, but it hit the rim and bounced out. Detia laughed and he smiled. "See, I don't expect you to be able to make it, just try."

He handed her another ball, and she tossed it, making it into the basket where it bounced but stayed in, a small smirk crossing her lips. "Beginner's luck." He handed her a third ball. "Try again." Detia threw the ball again, it hit the rim of the basket and fell in. "Wow! Did you see that! She made it in a second time. Do it again." Detia was handed a ball and she threw it in the basket, quickly becoming bored with this game, but loving how proud it made her mother and cousin. "Wow!" Lu Ten exclaimed and patting his cousin on the back. "Good job."

"I was wondering, Ty." Mai asked, getting her friend's attention, and when the brunette's grey eyes were on her, she continued. "Has Detia started crawling yet?"

"No, why? Should she have started by now?"

Mai chuckled at her friend's worried expression. "No, no, nothing like that. I just thought that, considering she's your child, you couldn't stop her from moving."

"Oh." Ty Lee sighed in relief and looked over to her daughter, who was staring at her.

The child's gaze broke as she turned her head towards one of the entrances where Azula walked in, the princess' golden gaze drawn to a scroll in front of her not paying attention to her surroundings. So, when Detia lifted her arms to be picked up as Azula passed and Azula didn't, no one thought much of it. But when Detia used her seat to push herself to a standing position, everyone, aside from Azula, gasped. Azula stopped at the sound and turned to find the six month old clutching onto her leg with one arm, raising the other arm in a motion to be picked up. The princess only looked at the child, then at Ty Lee. "How did she get here?" she asked, silently praising herself for saying 'she' instead of 'it'.

"She walked." Ty Lee answered pride clearly evident in her voice and eyes.

'Up,' the now familiar voice rang in Azula's ears, but she ignored it and only looked down at the small child. 'Up.' The voice came again.

Azula sighed, rolling up the scroll in her hands and placing it under her arm before leaning down and picking Detia up. Only to place her back down on the ground, turn, and walk away. Detia watched silently, blinking rapidly before falling on her bottom to the ground. "Did anyone else think that was mean?" Lu Ten asked as his aunt rushed pasted him to her daughter.

Detia looked back at her mother, lip quivering as tears leaked from her large eyes. "Oh, sweet heart," the acrobat cooed as she picked the baby up and hugged her tightly. "She'll come around." She whispered then threw the baby up in the air slightly only to catch her, which made the baby smile. "Who's my smart little baby? Already walking!" Detia giggled as Ty Lee kissed her cheek. "I'm so proud." She placed her daughter on the ground. "Do it again for mommy?"

Detia looked up, smiling slightly as she slowly walked across the floor to her cousin.


	3. Chapter 3

Of Fire

Chapter 3

Now that Detia could walk, it seemed that she never stopped. She would still sit and watch Ty Lee stretch sometimes; though most of the time, she tried to imitate her mother, with little success. Ty Lee was thrilled and started teaching her child the very basics of her art. More often than not, the training wore the baby out and she would sleep soundly for long periods of time. Usually, her training with her mommy began around noon, after Ty Lee got up, ate, and sat around playing little games with Detia. So on a day, maybe three weeks after Detia started walking, when Ty Lee simply couldn't go back to sleep, she went to her daughter's room, with the purpose of watching the baby sleep, and found it empty.

Panic filled the acrobat and she ran to where Azula would be, in the garden exercising her fire bending katas. As Ty Lee approached her wife, she noticed a whiff of white hair hiding behind a pillar and stopped in her tracks. When she neared what was surely her daughter, she noticed that Azula hadn't stopped her exercise and that Detia was watching her. The little girl looked up at her mommy when Ty Lee was right behind her. Ty Lee placed her hand on Detia's small shoulder and motioned for her to follow. Slowly, as if she was unsure of herself and what her mommy had planned, she stood and took the woman's hand.

Ty Lee pulled the girl with her as she approached her lover. "Azula," the acrobat said, getting the Princess' attention.

"Ty Lee," Azula replied, somewhat surprised to see her wife up so early. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," Ty Lee answered as Azula walked over to her, only wearing a light silk shirt, breast bindings, and her pants – all of which were soaked with sweat.

Azula kissed the shorter woman and smiled softly. "What are you doing up?"

She shrugged in response. "Couldn't get back to sleep. Do you want to join us for breakfast?"

Azula's thin lips turned into a frown at the word 'us' and instinctively looked down at the monster hiding behind Ty Lee's legs. "No," she answered as her eyes met Ty Lee's, "I can't. I have a meeting early this morning." Her lover pouted cutely and she kissed her lightly. "Maybe next time."

"Alright," Ty Lee easily conceded, not wanting to start yet another fight, and watched as Azula went inside to get cleaned up, waving slightly as she did.

Once her lover was out of sight, Ty Lee sighed sadly, looking down at her daughter. Golden eyes stared up at her. 'How am I supposed to get Azula to warm up to our daughter if she won't even spend any time with her?' Ty Lee thought and felt small digits squeeze her hand. "Right then, let's go get something to eat. What do you say?" The little girl nodded.

~x~

Months passed and Azula did not warm up to her assumed child. And what's worse, Detia had started disappearing for long hours, and when she reappeared she'd have burn marks on her arms, legs, and hands. Ty Lee constantly asked where they came from, but the baby would only shake her head and not answer. Ty Lee had thought the worst at first, that Azula had done this, that her wife had hit their child. But her fears were somewhat relieved when Azula had a meeting that lasted all day, and at the end of the day, when Detia reappeared the child had new burns on her. However, that meant that someone else was hurting her child, or Detia was doing it to herself. The burns themselves weren't bad and tended to heal in half a day, but that didn't make Ty Lee feel any better.

Ty Lee often informed Azula – who didn't really care – about the new burns 'their' child was sporting. Azula would calm Ty Lee down, hold and whisper sweet words of reassurances to her, but did not approach the subject with the child. The child wasn't hers, after all, so there was no reason she should care. It had been about noon, and Azula was walking out of a meeting, talking to her brother and Mai when she saw a head of short white hair rush around the corner. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Azula excused herself and stealthily followed the child down a maze of halls and doors. Finally, the little monster looked around her as she came to a solid wall. She pushed and the walls parted soundlessly, revealing a hidden passageway. Before they could close behind the monster, Azula slipped in. The doors lead to a small garden, completely forgotten by time, overgrown at the long years of being unattended. A large clearing followed the doors, covered in scorched grass and surrounded by tall dense trees and bushes.

The princess watched as Detia unfolded the small bundle she had carried under her arm that contained a book, a pair of pants, and a shirt. Without a second's thought, Detia pulled the red dress over her head, dropping it on the ground, and pulled on the pants and shirt she had brought, only struggling a little with the pants – nearly falling over in her first attempt. Azula noticed that the little monster was thinner than most 10-month-olds. She attributed the lack of weight to Detia's excessive amounts of running around. Her thin arms and legs still held a slight amount of baby fat, but muscles were visibly there. If it wasn't for her height, Detia could easily pull off being three. The monster put on the shirt then tied her neck-length white hair into a small haphazard ponytail, many loose white strands falling into her face. Azula noticed for the first time that, in the right light, pale yellow highlights streaked like lightning through the girl's hair.

Detia flipped the book open, catching Azula's attention. She stopped at about the third page and studied it for a second before taking a beginner fire bending kata. Only looking at the page once, the 10-month-old monster performed a perfect fire punch, sending small white-blue flames into the air. Azula almost gasped but caught herself and smirked. At least now she knew how Detia got her burns, and maybe, the knowledge would calm her wife down a bit. She slipped out of the room, ignoring the fact that the little monster's fire was a very similar color to her own.

The princess kept the knowledge to herself until later that night when Ty Lee was wearing a hole in the carpet, worrying herself about the new burns Detia had on her arms. Azula was in bed, lying on the covers watching the way her wife's slimmed body moved gracefully back and forth over the carpet. The toned muscles of her back, that never seemed to go slack, tensing as she clenched her hands into a fist. Azula indulged in the image of those muscles arching beneath her, hot and slick. "I wish I knew how she keeps getting these burns," Ty Lee said.

"She's fire bending," Azula answered automatically, with a seductive smirk as she continued to eye her wife's thin, fit body. "Well, trying."

"Fire bending?" Ty Lee repeated as she whipped her head to face her mate. "But she's not even a year old."

Azula shrugged. "I followed her and saw her practicing."

The acrobat, noticing her wife's look, smiled and crawled up on the bed towards her. "Did you?"

"I was curious." Azula remarked, her mouth now mere inches from Ty Lee's as the acrobat moved towards her.

"I see." Ty Lee's breath mingled with Azula's. "She needs to be trained." Azula only nodded, pressing her lips to her wife's and drawing the other woman to her. "You should train her," the words slipped out of Ty Lee's mouth as Azula ran her hands over the other woman's ribs.

The action stopped immediately, and Azula pulled away from Ty Lee, sitting up. "I will not train her."

Ty Lee set up. "Azula she's your daughter."

Azula's golden eyes flared as a snarl curved her lips. "That monster is not my daughter!"

The acrobat stood from the bed, a scowl on her pretty face, and Azula did the same – the only thing separating them was the bed. "Why do you say that! Everyone else believes she's yours. Everyone! If you'd just…"

"Enough!" Azula yelled, sending the flames in the candles skyward. "I will not train her, and that's final."

"No it isn't!" Ty Lee yelled back as she rounded the bed to face her wife. "Why are you so hung up on this? Why won't you just admit it?"

"How, Ty Lee? How is it possible?" Azula countered.

Ty Lee frowned. "Do you think so little of me that I wouldn't even know if someone took advantage of me? I'm not as smart as you, but I would know if something like that happened, and it didn't. You're the only person I have ever been with! Detia is your daughter!"

"It doesn't even look like me," Azula countered.

"How would you know! You never spend any time with her! You don't even look at her," the acrobat's voice rising in uncharacteristic anger. "And she looks exactly like you, the only difference being her hair!" Ty Lee exhaled lightly, knowing anger would not solve this problem but unable to keep the bit from her tone. "I know what you think about her being mute, that no child of yours would ever have such a defect. But you're wrong! We both know that her 'disability' is no disability. Stop being so stubborn and just accept her!"

Azula's hand clenched into a tight fist, her teeth grinding together almost painfully as her sharp nails dug into her palm. "You can't change the way I feel, Ty Lee!"

Ty Lee sighed, defeated, and lowered her head, biting her lip to stop from crying. She was tired of fighting this losing battle. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Azula lifted a black eyebrow, but before she could say anything, Ty Lee turned and ran out of the room. "Ty Lee!" she called after the woman, but Ty Lee didn't stop. "Fine!" she slammed her door closed and threw herself on her bed. "Stupid woman."

~x~

Ty Lee ran down the corridor to Detia's room, passing Mai and Zuko, but she didn't see them as she rubbed the tears from her eyes. The royal couple looked at each other before following their friend. "Ty," Mai replied as she opened the door to Detia's room and saw her friend putting random things in a bag. Detia was standing in her crib, watching her mother run around the room, a worried expression on her young face. "Ty?" Mai ventured, placing a hand on Ty Lee's shoulder.

Ty Lee brushed the hand off, hurting Mai's feelings though it didn't show on her face. "I'm leaving," she said sternly through her tears and turned to see Mai. "Oh, uh…Mai…I thought you were…"

"Ty Lee, what happened?"

The brunette shook her head, throwing the small bag over her shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it. Come on, Detia."

"Where are you going?" Mai asked as her friend picked Detia up out of the crib.

Ty Lee shrugged, "Kyoshi I guess. I don't know."

"Would you like an escort?" Zuko offered.

The acrobat shook her head. "No. She'd notice that and I'm not strong enough to leave if she asked me not to." Detia looked up at her mother's tearful eyes and wiped them with her small hand, kissing the cheek that was closest to her. Ty Lee smiled. "You're such a good girl."

In an uncharacteristic show of emotion, Mai hugged her best friend, patting her niece on the head when she broke away. "Be safe, okay."

"If you need anything, you know how to reach us. And I mean anything," Zuko finished. Ty Lee nodded then hugged Zuko as well. When the hug broke, Zuko smiled at his baby niece and pinched her cheek. "You take care of your mommy." Detia slapped his hand away and glared at him, crossing her small arms over her chest, which caused him to chuckle softly. The Fire Lord looked up at his sister's wife, his smile fading. "I'll try to make her see," he promised.

"Thank you," she said lightly, "but I won't hold my breath." He nodded. Ty Lee shifted the extra weight and forced a smile. "I'll see you around."

~x~

Ty Lee walked down the roads that crisscrossed in the Fire Nations upper class. Detia, who had never been outside of the palace, insisted on walking by herself, holding her mother's hand and looking around at everything. It was later at night but the sky was clear and the moon was full. The young woman stopped at a house she knew, the one her parents moved into on the day of her wedding. She sighed heavily as she looked down at her daughter. "We'll be staying here until I can charter us a boat to Kyoshi Island," she smiled. "I think you'll like it there. It isn't like here. There's green everywhere, and it's really close to the ocean, though it is cooler. I lived there for a while after the war."

Detia only looked at her mother, revealing none of her inner thoughts. With another sigh, Ty Lee knocked on the door to the house. Her parents were still awake, she could tell because most of the lights were on, but a male servant answered the door. He looked from Ty Lee then to the little girl holding her hand. "Who is it?" Ty Lee heard her mother's voice as clear as day come from behind the man. But before he could answer the woman, who looked much like Ty Lee – same hair color and same basic facial bone structure – pushed him out of the way. The woman's deep grey eyes looked from Ty Lee then to Detia, just as the man had done. "Ty Lee?" the woman asked.

Ty Lee smiled, but Detia frowned, her little face scrunching up in a confused manner. "Hi, Mom," Ty Lee replied, confirming her mother's question about her identity.

"Ty Lee!" the older woman exclaimed as she pulled her daughter into the house. "What on earth are you doing here? Is everything alright?" Before Ty Lee could even get a word in, the woman continued, she only hesitated for a second. "You really couldn't have picked a better time. Yi Min and Li Mei decided to spend some time with us and Jai Li and Li Ming are coming by tomorrow, all with their children of course. And now that you're here, almost the whole family will be here. Isn't that wonderful!"

"Yeah," Ty Lee replied, her mother missing as she grimaced, but Detia didn't.

~x~

Azula woke the next morning to an empty bed. She assured herself that it didn't mean anything; Ty Lee often fell asleep in Detia's room when she went there. The Fire Nation Princess stood and dressed, then walked her way to the little monster's room, fully expecting to see her wife and that thing sleeping together. But the room was empty and looked to have been ransacked, with toys and clothes lying all over the floor. Her first thought sent her heart beat racing. She stood there clutching the frame of the door, scorching it with blue fire, until her heart stopped racing.

With all the calm she could muster, the princess walked towards where her brother and his wife often had breakfast. Mai was there alone, but before she could approach her old friend, a hand grabbed her elbow. She looked up sharply at her brother. "I need to talk to you," he said lightly as she pulled her elbow out of his grip.

"I can't," she replied quickly. "Have you seen Ty Lee?"

"It concerns her, come on." He motioned for her to follow him.

He led her to his study, sitting himself in one of the chairs facing the fire, motioning for his sister to sit in the other. She did, though a little perplexed as to why. They were silent, both staring into the fire, until he sighed. "Ty Lee left," he finally replied.

"What? Where?" Azula asked rapidly.

"I don't know. She mentioned Kiyoshi Island, but I don't know if she'll go there right away." Zuko answered, watching his sister's reaction.

Azula's eyes sparked as her breathing became labored, but this only lasted a second as she studied the fire and calmed. "She left me," she finally replied, "for that little monster."

"Your little monster," Zuko remarked, watching as his sister's shoulders tensed.

"So you believe it to, dear brother?" she said after a while, unable to keep the venom from her voice, not that she was trying. "That that thing…that Detia is mine."

He nodded. "There's no believing, Azula. I know she's your daughter. If you spent half an hour with her, you'd know it too." Azula scoffed. "And of course, I asked Aang." His sister's golden eyes turned to meet his.

"You did what?"

He shrugged. "I was just as skeptical as you, Azula. I just couldn't figure out how someone could or would take advantage of Ty Lee. She may be airheaded sometimes but she's not a push over, and she knows her body pretty well from what Mai tells me. Then there's the 'you' factor. I believe I've said it before, there's not a person on this planet that would hurt Ty Lee simply because you claim her. That would be suicide." He chuckled and shook his head. "I figured the Avatar could go into the spirit world or something and find out the truth."

"And?" Azula almost demanded when he hesitated, sitting on the edge of her seat.

"The way he explained it made sense. I'm not sure I can. So, I asked him to come and explain it to you. He should be here in two days, maybe one, but at the most two."

Azula sighed. "That doesn't change the fact that she left me."

"You're just giving up?" he questioned.

"What would you have me do!" she snapped at him.

"Go after her!" he answered, standing as his temper flared. "She loves you, spirits only know why, and you love her. She would come back if you only asked her. Ty Lee said so herself."

Azula stood, glaring at her brother, barely containing her own anger. "Whatever," she said and stormed out of the study, her amber eyes as cold and hard as ice.

Zuko sighed and sat back down in the chair. Mai, who had snuck in earlier, approached her husband. He smiled when she sat in his lap, a long slender leg on either side of his. She kissed him lightly. "You did your best," she whispered in his ear.

~x~

Azula almost smirked as the guards went rigid around her when she passed. A flash of lightning white caught her eye. Her mind automatically jumped to Detia and the hope that maybe they hadn't left the palace after all. So she followed it. She only caught glimpses of the white but was sure it was hair, as she followed it to an older part of the palace. A part of her recognized the halls that she went down but that was the last thing on her mind as she turned a corner and there was nothing. A flutter of an old, worn wall scroll caught her attention. Her golden eyes locked on it like a hawk, and she walked towards it.

With a quick flurry, she pulled the cloth back and was met with what looked like a plain wall. Her eyebrow lifted as her manicured hand gently pressed on the wall. It gave a slight creak but otherwise didn't move. With confidence that the wall wasn't just a wall, she shoved her body against it. It gave way easily, sending her tumbling into a hidden room, dust flying everywhere. From the floor, she looked up and directly into golden eyes that matched her own. On instinct, she gasped and moved back, her back hitting the wall she fell through. When the dust and her heartbeat settled, she realized what she was looking at was a painting of what, at first glance, looked like Detia. Azula stood, dusting off her red robes, then walked closer to the painting. Brushing a hand over the painting a thick layer of dust flew off. "It couldn't be that little monster," she said lightly to herself and examined the painting closer.

The child in the painting had the same eyes and hair color as Detia but was much older. While it was true Detia looked a couple years older than what she was, the girl in the picture looked at least five or six. Her features were sharp and defined, even in the painting. Her pale skin gave off an inhuman glow. Her long white hair was streaked with visible pale yellow and light blue highlights splayed out behind her, taking up most of the canvas. Azula stared at the calm, sad, and tired expression that did not belong on the face of a small child. She concluded that this was not the little demon that Ty Lee gave birth to. Though, she wouldn't so much as say that it wasn't a picture of Detia in a past life. Only that it wasn't her now.

Carefully, Azula removed the remaining dust from the picture, finding the signature of the artist. Azula gasped as she read the name of her mother and then looked back at the painting. She didn't know her mother could paint. Azula jumped at the sudden sound of something dropping to the floor and turned to that direction. A small leather bound book sat on the dusty floor, its pages opened to almost the middle. Slowly, Azula walked over to the book and picked it up. If she were to guess, it looked like a journal. With a shrug, the princess examined the words on the page the book was opened to. Immediately she recognized her mother's flowing script. She humphed. "So, I found my mother's journal. How interesting," she stated out loud.

The first sentence on the page stated a date. Azula quickly calculated the page to be written about the time she was two or three. But the second sentence caused the air in her lungs to freeze and her heart to stop. "Today," the script said, "my daughter died."

The Princess of the Fire Nation stumbled backwards till her legs hit the edge of a chair, and not caring how dusty it was, Azula fell into it. She re-read the sentence three times before she could go on to the next. "Ozai said it was a training accident," Ursa continued, a smudge of where a drop of water had fallen on the paper. Azula imagined it to be a tear. "He said that she had gotten in the way as he was showing her a stance, and she was hit. I don't know what really happened, but I know that that was not it. I had found out by accident. After whatever had happened, Ozai had her body placed in a hidden room. I don't know what story he would have told me had I not found her. She was on a table on her back, most of her clothes burnt in the back.

"The look in her eyes was what frightened me most. Usually, her eyes were always full of life and fire. But not then. They were cold and dead. I hate to admit it but I didn't cry." Azula scoffed at the sentence. Of course her mother didn't cry, she thought she was a monster. "Crying would have made it final. It was storming outside; the world must have known that it would lose one of its most precious children, my little princess. The window was opened, blowing rain and harsh winds into the room. She was well enough away from it, so I didn't bother to close the window. I was in there for hours, just watching, hoping she would wake up. I had laid my head down for a second, clutching her cold hand.

"A particularly bright flash of lightning caught my eyes and I looked up. What I saw in front of me is something I'll never forget. A child, probably only a couple years older than Azula, stood in front of me. Her hair was as white as lightning, streaked with light blue and yellow, flowing down to her knees. She was like a spirit, her body, clothed only in white, was nearly transparent. Then she looked up at me, her eyes were the same golden as Azula's, speaking volumes of sadness and loneliness. I begged her not to take my baby, throwing myself over my daughter.

"The girl only looked at me, and without my consent, my body moved away from Azula. Then the spirit did me a favor as she placed her transparent hand over my daughter's chest. Without moving her mouth she said one sentence to me, 'It's not her time,' and her hand started to glow. The light was so bright that I had to close my eyes. When I opened them next, the girl was gone and my daughter was breathing. I don't think I let her go until she started to squirm. She didn't remember what had happened, and there were no scars on her body. When I told Ozai what exactly had happened, he said he didn't believe me but the smile on his face frightened me.

"But my daughter lived. This day will forever be the day I learned that my daughter, my little baby, was protected by the gods."

Azula nearly scoffed. "Protected by the gods," she repeated scornfully. "Where were the gods when I lost my mind? Where are the gods now, huh?" she asked the air.

"They're not here," A voice strikingly similar to Detia's replied from behind the princess. Azula froze at the voice, for some reason unable to make her body turn around. "You aren't keeping your end of the promise." Thunder rolled outside, which Azula found odd considering it was clear and sunny before she entered the room. The spirit in her mother's journal suddenly appeared before her, older by only ten years in appearance, still as transparent as in the journal. She walked as if her feet weren't touching the ground, almost as if she were floating, as she ventured toward Azula. Glued to the large chair as she was, Azula did not move, but made sure her face did not show any of her fear, only her displeasure. The spirit's golden eyes bore down on her with cold calculation. "Do not confuse me as your mother did," she said, though her mouth did not move. "I am no spirit." Her long white hair flowed down to the floor, rippling against the silky fabric wrapped loosely around her body. "We had a deal," it said as it placed a hand on Azula's cheek, causing the princess to flinch involuntarily.

The weight of the non-spirit's aura weighed down on Azula heavily, making it hard to breathe, as she leaned over the prone princess. The implied threat clear to the firebender. "I don't know what you're talking about," Azula managed through clenched teeth. The non-spirit smiled slightly and backed away. Her golden eyes softened as they appraised the princess. She turned, not saying a word more. "Wait," Azula said, against her better judgment. The non-spirit stopped but didn't turn. "Is…is Detia my daughter?"

The creature's golden eyes locked with Azula's. "She was part of the promise," it said without speaking.

With a flash of lightning, the creature was gone, and Azula could move again. With the ability returned to her, the princess quickly stood, scanning the room as the sun filtered through the one large window. Nothing was there. She ran a hand through her charcoal hair and sighed. She was losing it, again. For a few minutes, she set back down in the dust-covered chair. Finally, she picked up the journal and put it in her robe. Before leaving, she looked around the small hidden room. Aside from the chair and the painting, there was a small bookshelf stuffed full of leather-bound books, a spot open from where the journal was. Choosing a few at random, she realized that they weren't real books, only blank paper bound by leather. For some reason, her mother saw fit to hide her feelings.

Azula shrugged it off and continued to look around. Beside the chair was a small twin-sized bed, covered in dust and red silk covers. She coughed when she gently patted the bed and dust flew into the air. Waving the air clean, she noticed a few canvases hidden behind the one of the non-spirit. Curiously, Azula walked over to the canvases and rifled through them. There were seven. Most were of scenery. There was one of Zuko and she assumed herself when they were still very young, Azula guessed that she couldn't even walk yet, sleeping together. A smirk crossed her lips as she thought that Zuko would probably like that one. Another, the one she liked the most, was of her and Ty Lee.

They were both around seven, she guessed. Ty Lee had stayed over and they had both fallen asleep near a fire. In the painting, Ty Lee had roamed over to Azula and had her head in the crook of the princess' neck and shoulder. Instead of waking and pushing her away, Azula had pulled her friend to her, wrapping an arm loosely around her waist. Their hands still clasped. She stared at the picture for minutes, though it felt like hours, as she was reminded how much she loved that silly little airheaded acrobat. Silently, she vowed that she would do whatever it took to get her wife back.

Behind that one was a similar painting, only with Zuko and Mai sitting in a chair sleeping together. It made Azula wonder if her mother could see the future. So with new determination, Azula took the paintings of her and Ty Lee, and the one of Mai and Zuko, along with the journal and left the room. She made sure the passageway was sealed tight before heading into one of the main halls. She stopped suddenly when Zuko rushed pasted her. "Zuko?" she called, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Azula!" he yelled as he turned and ran to her, embracing her in tight hug. She tensed at the unfamiliar contact, making sure to keep the paintings out of the way of harm. He broke the hug but not the contact. "Where the hell have you been?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I couldn't have been gone for more than an hour."

He looked at her quizzically. "Azula, it's almost ten o'clock at night. You've been missing for over twelve hours. We thought you may have done something drastic."


	4. Chapter 4

Of Fire

Chapter 4

"What?" Azula inquired rhetorically, as she looked out one of the many windows and saw the night sky. "That can't be. It was just…I was just gone for a little while!"

The Fire Lord looked his sister over, noticing that she was covered nearly head to toe in dust with two canvases in her hand. "Where were you?" he asked calmly.

"I found this hidden room," she started. "I suppose it used to belong to mother."

"Mother?" Zuko parroted. "You found one of mother's old rooms?"

Her eyebrow lifted. "You knew about it?"

Zuko shook his head. "No, I only heard rumors about it. You found it?"

She nodded. "It had these in it." She showed him the painting of him and Mai, keeping the one of her and Ty Lee out of his view. Though, he paid it no attention as he took the painting from her. "Mother did it."

"I kind of remember seeing her painting. But, I didn't know she was this good." He looked at his sister. "Can I keep it?"

She smirked at his childish behavior, and then shrugged. "Go ahead," she replied, as if it was hers to give away.

Once he realized his behavior, he coughed in his hand and placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "You were in that room all day."

She debated whether or not she should tell her brother about the non-spirit she had seen. Then thought better of it, the last thing she wanted was to return to the asylum. Then it clicked, her missed time probably had something to do with that creature she had seen. Before her facial features could mimic her thoughts, she shrugged. "I guess I fell asleep." She touched her robes just now noticing that they were covered in dust. "I should probably take a bath."

Zuko nodded with a soft chuckle. The walk back to Azula's room was silent, Azula unaware as to why Zuko had insisted he escort her. She ordered the maids waiting outside her room to get the bath ready as she entered, bidding goodnight to her brother. Closing the door behind her, she realized how empty her room felt without Ty Lee there. With a heavy sigh, she placed the painting on her bed and the journal on her vanity and disrobed, leaving the clothes on the floor, knowing that someone would pick them up, and walked into her bathroom. Though she hadn't seen them enter, there were servants and maids filling the tub with warm water. She sank into it, letting her muscles relax as the warm water soothed them. When the bath was filled and the maids and servants gone she sighed heavily but not of relief, only exhaustion.

At first she thought about Ty Lee. It brought a faint smile to her lips, though that smile didn't last long. Ty Lee had left and she wasn't sure where she should start looking. She guessed she could start at her parent's house, but if she were Ty Lee, she wouldn't go there. Not with the way they treated her, like the black sheep. And even though she was the princess of the Fire Nation, they still never let her forget little things she had done, like join the circus. The last time they had visited the family was before Detia was born. True, they had seen them the week after the little monster's birth. But that was only because the Fire Sages insisted on baptizing the baby.

Azula smiled fondly at the memory of Detia being handed to her grandmother, who was 'informing' Ty Lee about the hardships of taking care of a child and all the wrinkles and weight she would gain from it, and immediately starting to cry. But once the acrobat took her from Ty Lee's mother, the baby stopped crying. That was one thing they could agree on, Azula didn't like Ty Lee's family either. They hadn't seen the family since then. Azula sighed, having no idea where her acrobat would go aside from there, and in her mind, Ty Lee being there was as likely as it snowing in the middle of a Fire Nation Summer. It was so hard getting into that silly acrobat's head.

So instead, the princess thought about the promise she had supposedly made with that creature. She concluded that it probably happened on the day she died. That brought up other thoughts. Had her father actually killed her? She didn't put it past him. Whenever she didn't do something the way he wanted, he would punish her, usually violently. She had no doubt that if he had gotten angry enough he could have over done it and accidentally killed her. Shaking her head, she decided to think about something else. Like back to her promise and what her end of that promise was. It had to be something great. Her life was saved for it, after all. She couldn't think of something that would be equivalent to her life.

She sighed again and got out of her bath, wrapping a robe around her slim form. There were simply too many unanswered questions. Walking into her empty room, she exhaled sharply, glancing at the painting on the bed, before sitting at her vanity and deftly picking up her brush. With practiced hands, she ran the brush through her dark hair, pulling it into a loose ponytail when all the knots were out and moving to the couch in the room. She hadn't meant to fall asleep but was surprised when sleep found her so quickly.

Azula found herself in a place where her father often trained her when she was younger. At first, she didn't realize she was dreaming, but it quickly dawned on her when she saw her father storming down the hall towards her, carrying a child – which she assumed was her when she was little – by the forearm, well dragging really. There were no guards or servants around when he threw the little child, who couldn't have been more than three, on the ground. She watched passively as he started yelling at the younger version of herself. The princess often remembered her father yelling at her when she had done something wrong, so this dream was really nothing she hadn't seen before.

Her younger self cowered as Ozai towered over her, telling her how useless she was, a disappointment to him and the Fire Nation. The young princess started to cry, tears trickling down her eyes, and this only made him angrier. His red-orange flames flew towards her, barely missing, as he yelled that she was weak and unworthy to be alive. And like any intelligent being with any form of survival instincts, the little girl turned and ran. Azula grimaced, that was the worst thing her dream self could have done. Her point was proven when her father roared and shot a bolt of white hot lightning right at the child, hitting her square in the back. There was no scream, which surprised Azula as she watched in horror as her dream self's body twitched then stopped. There had always been screaming. Whenever she shot someone with lightning they always screamed, but then again – aside from the avatar – the people she shot with lightning always got back up eventually.

Ozai looked at the still form, turned and said to the air, "Hide her."

The scene changed and Azula found herself in the room she had found earlier that day. It was clean now, but there was nothing in it, aside from a long table and a chair. In the chair sat her mother holding the hand that attached to the body that lay lifeless on the table. Ursa's eyes were dry, like in her journal, but she looked like a person who could no longer cry. A person who had come to the point in grieving where crying was useless and only insulted the memory. "Is that me?" a voice said from behind her, causing her to turn.

Standing by the wall was a transparent version of the body that lay on the table. The little dream spirit wasn't alone. Another person stood beside her, holding her hand. This almost looked like the person in her mother's picture. The non-spirit her mother painted but there was a difference. The creature beside the child didn't seem sad at all, almost happy. Her white hair reached just past her shoulders and curled slightly at the ends, white bangs curving to the structure of her face, kind of like Ty Lee's hair when it was down. And they were the same height, looking almost the same age. Though, the creature's eyes had a touch of maturity that Azula's did not. "That's you." The creature replied. "You're lucky to have such a caring mother."

"She looks sad," the three-year-old noted.

The creature nodded. "She is. She just lost her only daughter, after all."

Azula's dream self turned to the white-haired girl. "So I'm dead?"

The creature smiled warmly. "Not yet. I'm going to bring you back to life."

The child nodded then frowned. "Why would you do that? What's the catch?"

Azula smirked at her own behavior at such a young age. The creature's golden gaze turned to meet the young spirit. "There's no catch. You have people who care about you a great deal. Your future could be great."

"There's no catch?" The creature shook her white head in the negative.

Ursa sniffed, drawing the children's attention. "She loves you so much. I'm envious."

"Don't you have a mother?" Dream Azula asked innocently, though the question took the creature by surprise.

After a minute, the creature answered, "No, I've never had a mother."

"Never?"

"Never," the creature confirmed.

"Then I'll be your mother!" Dream Azula decided, causing the real Azula to choke on air.

"What?" The creature seemed just as shocked. "But you're significant other is a…"

"It doesn't matter." She waved the comment off. "You're a spirit or something, right," the child said with an air of finality.

"Or something," the white-haired creature answered.

"And you can be reborn, right?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Then it's settled. I'll be your mother when I'm old enough, and you'll save my life now. It's an even trade I think."

The white-haired girl laughed. "That's far from an even trade, but I'll accept."

"Good," the dream Azula replied happily, "then it's a promise."

The creature's golden gaze turned to the real Azula, bearing into her like a brand on her soul. In that very moment, it couldn't have looked more like Detia if it had wanted to. "It's a promise."

~x~

Azula jumped into the world of the living, falling off the couch she had fallen asleep on. She laid on the floor for a second, a regal hand on her brow as she thought about her dream. The princess hadn't thought that the promise would be one she would initiate. Honestly, she thought it would have gone more like the creature saying 'I can bring you back to life if…'. But if her dream was correct, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it was, then she had offered the promise. The creature was going to bring her back to life regardless of any offer her younger self would have made, but her younger self seemed to think that the creature needed something in return. She supposed it was only fair. "It was just a stupid dream," she scorned, sitting up from her position on the floor.

With a heavy sigh, Azula stood, dressing herself in her normal clothes. She exited her room intent on going to the garden and practicing her katas, like she did every morning. But instead, she stopped at Detia's room. It had been cleaned up. All the toys Azula had never seen her playing with and the clothes she had never seen the baby wear had been put back in place. Gingerly, she touched the crimson red crib, thinking that she had never seen the little monster actually sleeping in it. Detia was always awake whenever Azula saw her in it, which wasn't often but still. Then thinking that Detia probably didn't need a crib anymore, the monster seemed to have no problem getting out of it. Her thoughts drifted to her dream and the creature that had saved her life. If her dream was true then that creature saved her life and would have done it for nothing, but she promised to be its mother, to love it. If that creature was Detia, which it probably was, then she was doing a poor job of keeping that promise.

A creature saved her life, wanting nothing in return, and she repays it by hating and scorning it. "I'm a terrible mother," she thought out loud then smirked. 'Guess it runs in the family.'

"That goes without saying." A voice said from the door, a monotone voice that she recognized.

With a scowl plastered on her face, Azula turned to her brother's wife. "Mai."

"Azula," the assassin remarked as she entered the room. "This is actually the last place I'd thought I'd find you."

Azula rolled her golden eyes. "What do you want Mai?"

The Fire Lady shrugged. "I was going to talk to you about your daughter and Ty Lee. But I decided against it." That earned her a lifted eyebrow. "The boat to Kiyoshi leaves in three days. There are no other boats going, and Ty Lee didn't want our help getting there."

Now Azula was confused, why was Mai telling her all of this? "So, Ty Lee is still in the city," she commented, not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"More than likely," Mai remarked, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. "What were you doing in here?"

"Thinking," the Princess answered automatically. "We should probably get rid of the crib."

"What?" Mai almost snarled, but Azula chose to ignore it, as she turned to look at the crib.

"There's no reason to keep it. That little monster," she said with a hint of affection (that Mai caught) "Doesn't seem to need it. She gets out of the thing easily enough. So I was thinking of replacing it with a bed."

Mai nodded. "So she's coming back?"

Azula tilted her head at her old friend. "Why wouldn't she? That's the only way to get Ty Lee to return."

"Yes, because that's the only reason," Mai offered with a slight smile, which made Azula scowl.

"Believe what you like." The princess shrugged nonchalantly.

Mai smirked as Azula walked towards her to exit the room. "Oh, Aang will be here sometime this afternoon. We received a bird from him not too long ago, stating his location. You'll be informed once he arrives."

Azula humphed in acknowledgment, walking past her sister-in-law to tell a servant to remove the crib. Mai smiled inwardly. It would seem that her dear sister was finding herself attached to her daughter. That was good news to everyone really. Zuko would be ecstatic when he found out. That is IF Mai decided to tell him.

~x~

Azula sat at the desk in her study, reading her mother's journal for lack of better things to do. The journal and her mother's flowing scrip kept her mind off other things like Ty Lee, Detia, and the non-spirit. She had spent a good thirty minutes trying to figure out what that white-haired creature who saved her life could have been if she wasn't a spirit. Nothing logical came to her, so she decided to give up for now, maybe the avatar could shed some light on the problem, and read her mother's journal.

Her mother's journal was like a fairytale version of the way things used to be. The entries were far between each other. One could be from the day Azula was born and the next could be when she was two years old. In the entry written on the day of her birth, Azula nearly threw the book across the room. Ursa wrote her feelings about that day, how much she loved and adored her daughter. How she would always look out for her and take care of her. She wrote how they would have the closest mother-daughter bond ever. Azula growled and had to set the book down in order to stop herself from harming it. There were a few entries after her birth about vacations. Ursa wrote about their vacations to Ember Island and the nasty storm that had washed up an old sunken boat. And how Zuko and their cousin pretended they were pirates with a plank of wood as their treasure. Azula had only been a baby then, so she didn't remember. It amused her nonetheless.

After the happy vacation entries, there was the one where she died. She skipped that one, seeing as she had already read it. The next entry Azula noticed that her mother's tone towards her changed. Ursa still wrote how she loved her daughter, but she also wrote how she was afraid of her as well. After her death, Azula's fire bending skills increased rapidly, her mind was quicker and sharper. And her eyes never seemed to gain the same spark they once held, only getting colder. Ursa wrote that these things scared her; she believed her daughter was truly becoming a monster. The older woman hated herself to admit these feelings but still started to show favoritism to her son. At that admission, the book nearly burned to ash in Azula's hands. Somewhere, buried deep down in whatever was left of her heart, Azula had hoped that she had misread her mother's attitude towards her. That when Ursa called her a monster it was in the same affectionate tone she was using with her own daughter. But it wasn't. And while it was true that her mother did love her, Ursa still viewed Azula as a monster.

The princess sighed heavily, calming her raging temper, and placed the journal down. She wondered what her mother would think of her now. What she would think of Detia, the little monster that saved her life. Then she wondered why she even cared. Her mother was just as bad a mother as Azula was. The fact that she had subconsciously called Detia her daughter did not register in her mind.

The caw of a messenger hawk caught the Princess' attention. She turned to her open window to see the red bird perched there with grace and dignity. With a lifted eyebrow, Azula stood, walking over to the bird and retrieving the message strapped to its back. Just as she was about to unroll the message, there was a knock on her door. The princess stuffed the letter into her robes and turned towards the door. "Enter," she ordered coldly.

"Your Majesty," the guard who entered addressed, "the Avatar has just arrived and wishes to speak with you as soon as possible."

Azula nodded once as she walked towards the guard. She couldn't help but smirk when he straightened rigidly at her approach. The princess walked out of her room then turned to the guard. "Well, where is he?"

"Oh, of…of course. He's in the Fire Lord's Study," he said unsteadily.

With a slight nod, the princess walked to her brother's study. Before entering the imposing office that once belonged to her father, she stood at the door. Inside she could hear the voices of the young Avatar, his water peasant, and her brother. She rolled her eyes, 'This is going to be fun,' she thought sarcastically.

The instant she entered the room everything went silent. The Avatar smiled warmly at his friend's sister. Azula had to resist the urge to snarl at him. He was here to help her after all. The water peasant seemed to have better sense, and though she hadn't outright glared at the princess, her eyes told of her lack of forgiveness and trust. She was smart. Zuko looked the same as ever as he stood to greet his sister. "Azula," he said warmly. It was times like these when she remembered that she should be Fire Lord. "Come sit."

She sighed inwardly, forcing the thought to the back of her mind. With a nod, she greeted the Avatar and his peasant then took her seat beside her brother. Still smiling, the Avatar started. "So, you wanted to know whether or not Detia is your daughter, and how it's possible." Azula nodded, already feeling somewhat bored. "Well, how about I start from the beginning."

"As you wish," Azula remarked coldly.

Aang shrugged it off easily, but Katara glared slightly at the woman. "Okay, so right before I heard news of Ty Lee's pregnancy, I went to the spirit world and found the oddest thing. Everyone was celebrating. I asked Roku when I found him what was going on. He told me that the Balance of the Gods was finally being reborn," he started rapidly, becoming increasingly uncomfortable under Azula's hawk-eye stare.

"Balance of the Gods?" Azula questioned.

"Yeah," Aang replied, rubbing his neck. "The Avatar is only the balance between humans, which is the four nations and the spirit world. I have no say in what the Gods do. They would laugh and possibly kill me if I tried to interfere with their dealings." Azula's lip twitched as she suppressed a smile. Aang didn't catch it. "But anyways, Roku told me that the Balance of the Gods could stop all wars between the four nations because she or he could get to the roots of the problem."

"Where has this balance been?" Azula asked.

"I don't know."Aang answered after a moment's thought. "The legend said that the last Balance and her people were massacred. But that was before the Avatar was created, so I don't know if that's true. They say that she was very diplomatic and kind but just. Legend tells that her people were the best diplomats in the world."

"She?"

"Yeah, the last Balance was a woman. In the spirit world, there were old worn out paintings of her, but one couldn't really tell what she looked like," Aang sighed; this was much easier when he told Zuko. He didn't ask any questions and only listened.

"I see. And what element is it that she can control?" Azula inquired.

"I'm not sure. They said that she didn't use her powers much," Aang replied, feeling stupid for his lack of knowledge.

"So they were celebrating the return of the Balance. Who I'm guessing would have to be a god," Azula offered to get the boy talking again.

Aang nodded. "Yeah the balance is a god. The spirit who was telling stories during the celebration said that the Gods of the elements, the most powerful of the gods – and this includes the Balance – are born in extraordinary ways when they choose to be reborn. He said that they choose a person with certain qualifications when the person is born or shortly after."

"What kind of qualifications?" Azula inquired, interrupting him again, with a lifted eyebrow.

"I...um…I don't know," he remarked. "They are different for each god and they change a lot." He was feeling even stupider under Azula's cold, questioning gaze.

Azula sighed, "Continue," she nearly ordered with a wave of her hand then promptly tuned him out when he started to talk again, this time about the celebration itself.

Her mind whirled with what little information the Avatar had given her. To put it simply, she had learned that the gods were showy and wanted the whole world to know they were coming into it by being born in an extraordinary way. Azula easily consented that, if she had that kind of power, she'd want the world to know she was coming too. As for the how, being a god answered that question. With nearly limitless fabled power, the gods could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to. Though that begged the question, why her? True, she was the Princess of the Fire Nation, and the greatest Fire Bender in whole world. But she wasn't Fire Lord, and though she would never admit it out loud, she's wasn't the greatest of people. She was stubborn and hardheaded and manipulative and controlling and always had to be right and making herself depressed with every adjective she added to that list.

So, why her? She'd just have to ask, there was no way she could get into the mind of a god. If that's what her little monster was. The paper in her robe crinkled against her chest, drawing her attention to it. She looked around at the people sitting with her to see if any of them were paying attention to what she was doing. Aang was still telling his story, though his focus was shifted to Zuko. Katara was watching her like a hawk, but she didn't care what that water peasant thought. So, Azula slipped the rolled up paper through her sleeve, silently opening it and casually reading it under the table. She didn't recognize the slightly choppy script but kept her features neutral as she read the short letter.

At the end, she chuckled, drawing everyone's attention to her. "I don't think I give that little monster enough credit. She's definitely resourceful and crafty."

"Who are you talking about?" Aang asked innocently.

"No one," Azula answered as she stood, surreptitiously slipping the letter back into her robes. "As thrilling and informative as this little meeting is, I have a prior engagement I simply cannot miss."

"Azula?" Zuko questioned with authority that made her want to hit him.

She sighed inwardly and headed to the door. "I really can't miss this, Zuzu. Maybe we'll finish this chat when I get back."

Azula waved with a sarcastic smile as she left the room. She took in a deep breath once the door was closed behind her then, with a determined look, ran towards the entrance of the palace, running into Mai as she did. Mai, along with Lu Ten who was walking at his mother's side, only looked at her sister-in-law as the princess rushed through the palace, not saying sorry or anything. Not that Mai was expecting her to, though. The palanquin was already waiting for her when she left the palace gates, and though it would have been faster if she ran, she decided to take it instead. She absolutely refused to seem improper in front of her people and running was not something noble women did. Besides, she had plenty of time; it was only a little past noon.

~x~

Detia sat in the library of her grandparent's home. It had only been two days, and she was ready to kill them. She wondered if it was within her power to banish them. Ty Lee had been oddly complacent, and every now and then, Detia would catch a twinkle of a tear in her mother's eyes. There was no doubt in her young mind that her mommy cried herself to sleep at night. And the constant verbal jabbing at her person that her family did was not helping the young acrobat in her emotionally state. And it never stopped; if it wasn't her sisters telling her how wrong everything about her was, it was her mother.

They never let Ty Lee forget 'mistakes' she made in her life. Like joining the circus or visiting the fallen princess every day after the war. When her oldest sister mentioned that, Detia saw the memory Ty Lee dredged up of Azula bound by her wrists and ankles in a room not tall enough for the princess to stand in, a muzzle over her mouth as she ranted and raved to the things only she could see, her hair disheveled and matted, clothes torn and burnt. Her mommy remembered how she would hold the princess and how the princess would cling to her. It was because of Ty Lee that Azula got better mentally and managed to come back to herself. The princess was who she was today because of Ty Lee. Because of this devotion and unwavering love Ty Lee had for her soul mate, Detia was proud of her mother, proud to be called her daughter. No matter what her aunts or grandmother said.

It had angered the little girl when they would poke at Ty Lee about Detia. Apparently, they believed that Detia being mute was a fault of Ty Lee's and constantly told Ty Lee that she shouldn't have cheated on her lover if the only thing it would produce was a child who could not even speak. Yi Min had stated it first, and the rumor caught like wild fire. But anytime anyone would say something to that effect, Detia would promptly shoot scorching white fire at them. The little girl had caught the table on fire merely by looking at it just the night before when Jai Li inadvertently called Ty Lee a whore. She hadn't used that exact word, but it was implied. And Detia would have none of that. Ty Lee had gasped at the white flames, thinking that maybe Azula had found her. But the Princess was nowhere in sight and Detia was the only one who wasn't concerned about the small fire, only glaring at her aunt with a wicked smirk – that looked distinctly Azula – across her youthful face. The acrobat smiled, patted her daughter's hand, and the flames died.

It wasn't enough that they harassed Ty Lee; they also found an odd sense of joy harassing Detia. Constantly, the older of the sextuplets would demean the mute child. Once one of them had dressed up like Ty Lee to see if Detia would come to them. Apparently, all of the other children had gone to the parent the adult was not. Detia, who talked with her mind and recognized people by their thoughts, was not confused. It also helped that she was beginning to see soft colors emitting from people. Her brows furred together when the woman who looked like her mother called her. Carefully, she studied the person, though she knew right off that it wasn't her mother. With effortless ease and grace, the child stood and walked over to Li Ming. The woman stooped to hug the child with a hidden smirk. Detia causally walked over to Li Ming, stood on her tip toes, removed the royal crown that was her mother's, and then turned to Ty Lee. The child lifted the golden emblem and its needle to her mommy. Ty Lee smiled smugly as she took the thing that named her princess of the Fire Nation and hugged her daughter, telling her with her mind that she was the best daughter in the universe.

She did have to admit that her cousins weren't so bad. But there were just so many of them, and that many minds coming at her at once hurt her head. This was why Detia spent most of her time in the library. She could barely read and couldn't write the first day she found the library. In the palace, she had had no interest in the library, being able to clearly speak with her parents. But now, she spent hours reading old books and scrolls. And no one bothered her because no one bothered to look in the library for her, aside from Ty Lee. After that first day, she had decided to write a letter to her wayward parent.

Getting the messenger hawk to go to the person she wanted was slightly challenging. But she found that she could talk to animals, well command them anyways. She didn't understand one caw from the next. The bird cawed as if it understood, and once the letter was slipped into the barrel and sealed shut, the bird took flight. And now she waited in the library, thankfully by herself. She could barely feel Ty Lee's mind, but she wasn't surprised considering the acrobat had let her sisters convince her to go shopping. She wondered how her sweet, happy mommy could be related to these brownnosing, backstabbing Lion-Sharks. Detia chose to ignore that fact and picked a random book from the third shelf, the highest one she could reach without help, and began reading.

It was two hours before she heard the familiar twisted mind of her other parent. 'About time.' the nearly one-year old thought to herself as she stood, racing to the door before Azula could knock.

Slight surprise showed on the princess' face when the door opened before she could even knock. But the surprise quickly faded when she saw the little white-haired monster standing in the door, looking up at her with slight annoyance. Azula shrugged but gave no explanation. The little girl sighed slightly, took Azula's hand, and drug the woman back to the library. Detia sat at a small table, motioning for Azula to do the same. The princess did, sitting in front of her assumed daughter rigidly. She had never actually examined the little monster before, but now as they set in front of each other not saying a word, Azula took this chance to do just that.

Detia's golden eyes, a shade Azula reluctantly admitted to be the same as her own, stared back at her calmly. The princess frowned when she realized that aside from the white hair that fluffed out at the ends like Ty Lee's and the height, Detia looked just like she did when she was three, Detia of course being the height of a one-year old. With the same high cheekbones, same sharp, straight nose, and the same golden slightly slanted eyes, they even sat with the same straight-backed posture. 'Are you done?' Detia's voice rang in Azula's head, causing the older woman's frown to deepen.

"I won't apologize," Azula started.

'Good, don't,' was the girl's surprising remark. 'I wouldn't want them,' she nodded very slightly to the open door, where someone, Azula couldn't tell who, was watching, 'to have anything on you. They are not to be trusted.'

"I'm aware," The Princess agreed.

The little monster nodded, 'Then don't speak,' she said evenly. 'Think what you want to say to me. I can still hear you.' Azula lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering if the little monster always had that ability. 'I have. I've always known what you think about me.'

The frown returned to the princess' red lip. Deciding to give this way of communication a try, Azula thought. 'That's not something I want to talk about. We can discuss it later.' Detia nodded. 'Did you send me this letter?' Azula placed the rolled up note on the table, again Detia nodded and Azula smirked. 'Clever girl,' she thought, forgetting that Detia could hear her. 'Tell me,' she paused, 'how did you get the bird to come to me?'

Detia shrugged. 'I just thought really hard at it and it flew off.'

'I see,' Azula remarked, really getting into this talking without saying a word. 'Ty Lee plans to take you to Kiyoshi Island, correct.' The little monster nodded. 'The boat leaves in only a couple more days, why contact me? The both of you would be away from this family then.'

Detia scoffed and rolled her honey eyes. 'The last thing I want is to live as an earth peasant, especially in a place named after a former Avatar. She speaks highly of them, but they are still earth peasants. If I wanted that, I'd have been born into an earth peasant family.' Azula couldn't help but smile at the child's attitude, so like her own. 'And that's not what mommy really wants.'

'What?' Azula thought, her smile fading.

'She tries to hide it from me, but leaving you was the hardest thing she's ever done. Every night she cries herself to sleep then mumbles your name. It doesn't help that this family, who I don't think she's really related to, they probably adopted her or something, berates her for marrying you.'

The Fire Nation Princess' face hardened in a stone cold glare, though it wasn't directed at the small child. "They do, do they?" she said aloud, her thoughts much darker.

Detia had to tune the darker thoughts out as she nodded with both the spoken words and what thoughts she had seen/heard. 'They say that if she was only going to cheat on you, then she shouldn't have spent so much time with you after the war and gotten married to some nice nobleman like her sisters. As it stands, with a child like me as baggage, there's no way she'll find a decent husband. This is all their words of course, not mine. Besides, she loves you. She doesn't need to be with anyone else.'

With her sharp manicured fingernails digging painfully into her palm, Azula tried to calm herself, not that it was working. 'She would never cheat on me!' she yelled loudly in her head, ignoring the child's last comments.

'I know,' the child concurred. 'And your notion of my conception is just as ridiculous. No one could ever take advantage of her.'

This calmed Azula somewhat as she eyed the white-haired child, the streaks of yellow highlighting the white strands like bolts of lightning through clouds. 'I don't know if I believe that anymore,' the princess admitted.

A white eyebrow lifted, 'An epiphany?'

'Something like that.' She smirked at the little monster and her use of words she shouldn't even have heard before. 'A memory really.'

Both eyebrows raised as Detia saw the memory through her mother's eyes. 'I don't know anything about that, yet,' the little monster replied after watching the scene.

'Oh?' Azula asked, 'Wait you saw that?'

The little monster nodded. 'Yes, but I have no memory of it.'

'How much can you do with your mind that you don't tell anyone about?' Detia shrugged at Azula's question.

'A lot,' Detia replied.

"I see," Azula said aloud again, catching the hint of a sleeve by the doorway. 'Can you tell me who are watching us?'

Detia didn't as much as glance at the doorway when she answered, 'Mommy's parents. They think that I'll tell you something bad about them if you spend too much time with me. They already have someone in mind to marry her off to if she really leaves you, which she won't, of course.'

'Of course,' Azula agreed. 'In the note, you said that, if you had to, you would stay with these people.' Detia nodded. 'Would you really sacrifice yourself like that?'

Detia's golden eyes stared into her mother's. 'I would do anything to make my mommy happy. She deserves to be happy. And if that means that I can't live with you, because of your misguided beliefs, and have to stay here with these people, then I will.'

'All to make her happy?'

'You'd do the same.'

Azula nodded slightly, she would do the same and she knew it. It was just one of those things she didn't like to admit. So, she decided to change the subject. 'When did you learn to write? And when did your vocabulary grow like it has? From what I've read a one-year old should barely be able to speak.'

Detia tilted her head slightly, 'I'm in here most of the time, and I've read a lot of the books. I don't speak verbally, so that statistic does not apply to me.'

"I see," the Fire Nation Princess remarked. 'Why do you think you're my daughter?'

The little monster paused, her expression unreadable. 'Because only you and Mommy can hear me. No one else can, yet. The only connection I see between us is that we're related by blood directly. You are my parents.'

Azula nodded, choosing her words carefully, though Detia could hear everything that she was thinking. 'Why us?'

'I don't know the answer you want me to give. The memories I have of my past life are not that current.'

Azula's charcoal eyebrow lifted, 'But you do have them?'

'Some. At least, what I think are memories. They couldn't be anything else.'

'Does Ty Lee know about any of this?'

The little monster shrugged. 'Not really. She knows that I can hear her thoughts and that she can hear me, but we don't sit and have conversations like you and I are doing. She wants me to be a baby, to act like one. And I will be that until I can't lie to her anymore.'

The princess nodded. 'You shouldn't lie to her at all. She'll be hurt if you keep this from her,' she scolded lightly. 'You should tell her as soon as possible.'

Detia chuckled lightly, though her lips did not turn up into a smile. 'Yes, mother,' she said with no sarcasm in tone.

'You'd better,' Azula remarked, thinking that her little monster could at least learn from her old mistakes.

She nearly gasped when she realized what she had called Detia and met the child's golden eyes. For once, the little monster was quiet. She examined the girl again, this time not with her eyes but with what she knew of her. Putting aside the fact that Detia could not speak verbally, the little girl was everything Azula could want in a daughter. And yes, she had thought about it before, though she never thought it possible. Detia was intelligent, speaking in tones that most adults Azula knew didn't use. She already knew how to write, though it was a bit choppy. But she wasn't even a year old yet, so that was okay. And she could read, apparently.

The little monster was cunning and resourceful with a sharp mind. She was already learning to firebend, and from what little Azula saw, her forms weren't half bad. She was a prodigy, just like herself. They were so much alike. They even had the same problem with their mothers. Both of their mothers thought they were monsters. Azula flinched as the thought hit her; she was just like her mother. 'But she's my little monster.' Azula thought to herself, not noticing how Detia perked up a little. 'There's a difference. Well, there will be."

Detia smiled slightly, things seemed to be looking up for her.

TBC

A/N: I don't really hate Ty Lee's family as much as it seems. You just have to remember that Detia is an 11 month old who can read minds and loves her mommy. People think really mean things. So naturally she would dislike them.


	5. Chapter 5

Of Fire

Chapter 5

Ty Lee walked into her parent's house, exhausted. Sighing heavily, the young princess trudged through the house. She really hated going shopping with her sisters and wondered why she couldn't come up with a reason not to go. Detia didn't like to be around a lot of people and would cry loudly – though only Ty Lee could hear it – so she got to get out of it. She had even tried to say that Detia didn't like to be without her, which was true. But somehow, her sisters had managed to con her into going. And to make matters worse, she hadn't even packed any form of currency, aside from the money she would use to buy her and Detia's boat ticket, which her sisters didn't let her forget, once she told them.

As she headed towards the living room, she heard frantic steps rushing towards her. They were too heavy to be Detia's, not that the little girl made much noise when she ran, if she ran. Ty Lee couldn't remember one incident where the girl had ran. So with a grimace, she prepared herself to be confronted with either her mother or one of her sisters. She visibly sighed when neither approached her, and one of the servants rounded the corner. Though, by the frantic look in the young girl's eyes, Ty Lee's hackles went up in alarm. "Is everything alright?" the acrobat asked.

"No ma'am. I mean yes. The Princess Azula is here."

Ty Lee's grey eyes widened in alarm, "She is! When did she get here?"

"A couple of hours ago," the girl answered.

"Hours!" Ty Lee's voice rose uncharacteristically. "What has she been doing?"

The young servant flinched at Ty Lee's tone. "Nothing, she's just been staring at lady Detia. She just now asked for tea. Your parents have been keeping an eye on them."

"I'm sure they have," she almost scoffed, berating herself silently. It seemed Azula's attitude was rubbing off on her "Where are they, the Princess and my daughter?"

"In the library, my Lady," the young girl answered.

"Go get the tea, for three," Ty Lee replied with a warm smile.

The servant bowed and ran off into the kitchen. The halls were eerily quiet as Ty Lee walked down them towards the library. She couldn't see her parents anywhere, but that didn't mean they weren't there. With a heavy sigh, Ty Lee neared the open door to the library and stopped once she walked to the entrance. The view inside almost made her gasp, both her wife and daughter were sitting side by side looking through a book. Their conversation hadn't dulled in the least, though no one could hear it. It had simply run off into fire bending techniques and the proper way to do them. Detia had pointed to a book on the wall when what Azula was saying wasn't computing. Azula had stood and retrieved the book, the one they were looking at currently, sat next to her child and flipped the thing open. The princess opened her palm in demonstration and easily created a blue fire ball.

Ty Lee watched in rapt fascination as her daughter, who wasn't even a year old, opened her palms, put them together, and created a small ball of pure, white fire that crackled. Azula extinguished hers and examined the ball the child had created, coming to the startling realization that her little monster's ball of fire was not fire at all. "Detia," Ty Lee finally said, gaining the attention of the two in the room.

As a reaction, Detia closed one of her hands over the other, snuffing out the fire but not before it singed her hand. Azula heard the familiar sound and smelled the familiar smell of flesh burning and automatically looked from Ty Lee to her little monster. Detia's golden eyes looked back at her but showed no pain. Without even thinking, Azula grabbed the child's hands. Detia kept her palms closed rebelliously. "Open," Azula ordered and Detia hesitated. "Now," she demanded, leaving no room for objection. Detia looked at the ground as she opened her palms. Only her left palm had markings of being burned, but the burn itself looked as though it wouldn't even leave a blister. Azula sighed to herself, dropping the child's small hands. "Make sure to extinguish the fire before closing your hands." The little monster nodded, carefully placing her hands under the table as her mother turned to Ty Lee. "Ty Lee." Azula stood gracefully, approaching her wife whose eyes had yet to meet hers.

Ty Lee's grey eyes flicked up to Azula's then back at the ground when the princess stood mere inches from her. Azula took her mate's hands in her own, bringing them up between them. "Ty, look at me," the princess said gently, barely above a whisper, but the acrobat heard and did as she was asked, meeting her princess' honey eyes. Tears welled up in Ty Lee's eyes as she searched Azula's eyes and found an emotion the princess rarely ever showed, love and compassion. "Come home," Azula asked, keeping her tone light as a tear fell down her lover's cheek.

She wanted so much to say yes, to throw her arms around her wife and be carried away back to the palace. But her eyes fell to her daughter. The child's golden gaze looked at them both, an expression close to hope on her youthful face. She couldn't help but remember how cold Azula had been to their child. That wasn't the kind of environment a child should grow up in, hated by one of her parents. Ty Lee looked down to the ground then back up at Azula and the almost pleading look in her eyes. "Azula," she said through the tears that leaked freely from her eyes. "I can't…I…." The wounded expression on her wife's face made her stop talking for a second and try to calm down, again turning her gaze to the ground.

'She's worried about me,' Detia informed Azula, before she could jump to the wrong conclusion. 'She doesn't want me to grow up where I won't be loved.'

Azula smiled warmly, thanking her daughter in her mind before lifting Ty Lee's chin so their eye met. Gently she pressed her lips against her mate's. "Things will be different," Azula assured. "I promise. That little monster won't be unloved," she said. The affection in that tone was not lost on Ty Lee.

The acrobat searched her love's eyes, swallowing hard when only the truth shown through them. Without hesitating, and with a more than slight bounce in her step, Ty Lee threw her arms around Azula's neck and hugged her hard. Azula smiled smugly as she hugged her woman back, grateful for the feel of that slim body pressed against her own. In a swift, unexpected motion, Azula lifted Ty Lee in her arms, bridal style. Ty Lee squeaked in protest at the sudden movement but otherwise didn't let Azula go, only leaned into her further, smiling up at her princess. Azula smiled back as she ventured towards the exit of the room. Stopping at the door, she turned slightly to the child. "Why are you still sitting there? Come on."

Ty Lee smiled against Azula's neck at the parenting tone Azula used, knowing full well the reaction it would cause in the princess. The smile only widened as a slight shiver Azula could never seem to suppress ran down her spine. 'What about our stuff?' Detia asked as she stepped to the side of her parents.

"Leave it here. You don't need it," Azula answered out loud.

"Leave what here?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula glared at the little girl walking beside her, reminding her mentally that she shouldn't lie to her mommy. 'She was talking to me,' Detia replied almost shyly, her voice clearly heard in both of her parent's minds.

Ty Lee looked down at her daughter in astonishment. "You can speak?" the acrobat exclaimed, excitedly.

Detia smiled shyly and nodded. 'Not verbally,' The little girl replied.

The acrobat turned to look sternly at her princess. "You knew?"

"Well…"

"You did! You knew. Why didn't you tell me?" Ty Lee demanded forcing the stern expression on her face, which failed utterly.

"I thought you knew," Azula defended and sighed inwardly when Ty Lee's eyes sparkled with understanding and pride. She smiled when her acrobat kissed her. "She can write, too. It's choppy but we'll work on that."

"She can write!" Ty Lee exclaimed happily, suppressing the urge to bounce in excitement at her daughter's intelligence.

"Of course, how do you think I found you?"

"She wrote you a letter and made the messenger hawk go to you! Such a smart, resourceful little girl."

Azula smiled smugly, "Well, I wouldn't expect anything less, Ty Lee," she explained. "She is my daughter." Though she said the words, she wasn't sure she quite believed them, but she did enjoy hearing people praise a child she claimed.

Ty Lee was thrilled at the near-lie and to show it squealed in delight and hugged her wife tightly, nearly making the princess fall backwards with the sudden movement. The acrobat turned to her daughter, once the princess stabilized, as best she could from her position, still firmly hugging her wife, and replied, "When I'm set down, you will be adequately praised."

Detia nodded slightly and smiled warmly up at her parents as Ty Lee snuggled into Azula's warm embrace. The acrobat gasped suddenly, causing Azula and Detia to stop and look up at her. "What?" Azula asked worriedly.

"What about my parents? We should at least say goodbye," Ty Lee answered.

"Why?" Azula and Detia chorused, an action that caused Ty Lee to smile despite herself.

Ty Lee sighed, "They are my parents."

'In title only,' Detia countered crossly though her expression never changed.

"We can send them a letter." Azula offered.

"But we're here now. We should just get it over with and not have to worry about it," the acrobat reasoned.

"I wasn't going to worry about it," Azula remarked, and Detia nodded her agreement.

'I was going to try and forget all about it,' Detia continued lightly only allowing Azula to hear her, which made Azula smirk.

"Come on, please," Ty Lee whimpered pathetically.

Grinding her teeth together, she reluctantly set her wife down. "Fine. Make it quick."

The acrobat's smile widened as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed her wife. "I promise. Now come on." Ty Lee tugged Azula's sleeve as she nearly dragged her lover to where her parents were.

Azula rolled her eyes but didn't say anything as Ty Lee dragged her. She did, however, glare at her little monster when the girl made the sound of a whip cracking. Their golden eyes met for a second and Azula scoffed at the ridiculously innocent look in the baby's eyes. 'Watch your mouth, little girl,' she warned as her eyes narrowed. 'You shouldn't be speaking of things you know nothing about.'

Detia ran so that she was beside her mommy, taking her hand, and then looked back at Azula. 'I didn't say anything,' the young voice mocked.

Azula had to physically will herself not to attack the little monster. 'You can't hide behind her forever,' Azula thought dangerously.

Detia didn't respond, but Azula noticed with satisfaction how the girl's shoulders tensed and smirked.

Luckily, saying goodbye to Ty Lee's parents didn't take very long. But that didn't stop it from being annoying. Aside from the mandatory pleasantries, neither of the acrobat's parents said a word to Azula, which the princess was grateful for. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in a conversation with people like them. Detia wasn't so lucky, which only amused Azula. The princess even smirked when Ty Lee's father knelt down to the little girl and pinched her cheeks. She promptly smacked the hands away from her face and ran behind Azula, knowing that, if nothing else, Ty Lee's parents wouldn't follow her there. 'Revenge,' Azula chuckled lightly, knowing the girl could hear her. Ty Lee's father only chuckled as he hugged his daughter, whispering not to let what her mother and sisters had said affect her, that she had a wonderful little girl and loving wife – even if Azula never showed it.

Just to get on her nerves, Detia repeated what he said to Azula, who scowled and thumped the child on the head. Detia rubbed her head but didn't whine about it and hid behind the princess once more as Ty Lee's mother came towards her. The older woman knelt, "Come now, Detia, give grandma a hug goodbye."

When the little monster made no move to actually move towards the woman, Azula moved out of the way, placing a hand on the girl's back and giving her a gentle shove in the older woman's direction. The little monster's golden eyes glared at her when Ty Lee's mother embraced her tightly. Azula only smirked at the scowl on Detia's young face. The older woman released Detia and stood, addressing her daughter-in-law. "You take care of my daughter and grand-daughter."

Azula only scoffed and turned to leave, Detia right on her heels. "Come on Ty. Let's go home," she called over her shoulder.

Ty Lee said goodbye to her parents one more time before skipping a little to catch up to her lover. The acrobat linked her arm with Azula's as they walked through the halls to the front door. "My family's not so bad. I don't know why you hate them so much."

Azula lifted a charcoal eyebrow. "You mean besides the fact that they're a bunch of backstabbing brownnosers?"

"Well, besides that. Almost everyone in the noble houses is like that and you don't hate all of them." Azula only looked at Ty Lee. "Okay, so maybe you do. But this is my family."

"How can you defend them? After everything they said about you," Azula countered as they reached the palanquin.

Ty Lee stopped. "What did they say about me?"

Azula gracefully sat in the palanquin, Detia in front of her, as she extending her hand to her wife. Ty Lee took the offered hand and ascended into their transportation. "Like them implying that you cheated on me."

"They were only teasing. They are my sisters and they do love to tease me. You know that." Ty Lee defended. "They didn't mean it. In fact, the same sister that said that to me comforted me last night when I couldn't go to sleep."

"Okay. What about their claim that you shouldn't have spent so much time with me after the war and gotten married to some man like a good little girl?"

It was Ty Lee's turn to look confused. "They never said that to me. Who told you that?"

Azula instantly glared at the little monster who was looking at the red velvet she was sitting on. "Did you lie to me?" Azula asked dangerously.

Detia met the princess' deadly golden eyes with her own. 'They may not have said it but they sure thought it,' she defended herself. 'And with so many people around I can't concentrate on what's being said and what's being thought.'

"You can hear other people's thoughts too?" Ty Lee said excitedly. Detia only nodded once before Ty Lee jumped on the small child, embracing her tightly. "You're such a smart child. I love you so much," she exclaimed then pulled away slightly, placing a hand on her daughter's head while still embracing her. "I'm sure my sisters thought some really horrible things about me. But you shouldn't take any of it to heart. That's what siblings do. Just ask your mom. She's never stopped giving her brother a hard time." Azula scoffed and turned her gaze to the curtain, which caused Detia to giggle. Then a thought occurred to Ty Lee. "Can you talk to other people too?"

Detia shook her head. 'No, just you two right now.'

"Right now?" Ty Lee asked excitedly.

"Naturally," Azula explained. "As she gets older, the ability will grow as well."

The acrobat nodded that she understood and hugged her daughter once more then shyly crawled over to her wife. Without a word, Azula opened her crossed arms and allowed the woman she loved into her embrace, smiling slightly when Ty Lee nuzzled in close. There was silence for a second then Detia yawned, placing a hand over her mouth as she did. "What time is it?" Ty Lee asked absently.

"Around four, I suppose." Azula answered, "Why?"

"It's time for Detia's nap," Ty Lee offered as she stretched out her arms, silently telling the girl to come to her.

"She still takes naps?" the Fire Nation Princess questioned.

Ty Lee laughed. "She's still only a baby, Azula."

Azula nodded as she watched the little monster curl up against her mommy and asked, "Are you sure? Is there something wrong with her? She's really…thin for her age."

The acrobat chuckled lightly, though she was glad that her lover was showing interest in their daughter. "I know. I was worried about that as well and called the doctor to come look at her. He said that she was fine and everything seemed to be working right. Only that her muscles seem to be toning quickly, getting rid of all the baby fat, which is why she appears thin." As an afterthought she added, "She even has only four teeth. Sometimes she complains about them because they hurt her gums but it's cute and normal."

"I'm sure," Azula conceded as she tentatively placed a hand on her little monster's white hair. "And her hair?"

Ty Lee shrugged lightly. "He said that she was albino, but she scoffed at him when he said it."

Again Azula nodded, silently watching as the little monster slept. It was the first time she had ever seen the child sleep. She looked so innocent and peaceful. The princess was surprised at how much it calmed her, just watching the child, how much at peace she was. It was hard for her to believe that the little girl lying against Ty Lee was a goddess, the balance of the gods, the one creature who could stop all wars. She was so small and fragile, in appearances anyway. She surprised herself again when she realized how eager she was to get to know the child that was claimed as her own. "How long does she usually nap?"

"About twenty to thirty minutes. She should be awake by the time we get to the palace. Why?"

"No reason." Azula smiled to herself and pulled her wife closer to her, kissing her forehead. "The Avatar will probably want to meet her."

Ty Lee nodded. "Is he the reason you changed your mind about her?" Ty Lee asked hopefully, that way she'd have someone to thank.

Azula shook her head slightly, "No. I had already decided before that. What he told me did help fuel my decision, though."

"What did he tell you?" Ty Lee asked nearly bouncing in her excitement.

With her hand placed firmly on her wife's shoulders Azula kept the excited woman calm. "Don't wake her," Azula almost whispered. Ty Lee calmed instantly as she looked down to her daughter. When she was truly calm and settled back into Azula's arms, the princess continued. "I'll tell you everything later."

"You promise?" Ty Lee whimpered lightly.

"Of course," Azula promised sealing the deal with a light kiss. "I'll tell you everything." The acrobat smiled warmly and snuggled into the woman she loved, pulling her daughter close. "She doesn't have to be changed does she?" Azula asked as an afterthought, causing Ty Lee to giggle and shake her head in the negative.

"The instant she learned how to walk she insisted that I teach her how. It was so cute." The acrobat sighed and looked up at her lover, "You've missed out on so much, Azula."

Azula nodded slightly and kissed the top of Ty Lee's hair, "I know."

The rest of the ride back to the palace was in a comfortable silence. This was only because Azula started to caress Ty Lee's head and neck, something the princess knew would make the acrobat fall asleep. It had always worked before and didn't fail her now. She smirked triumphantly when Ty Lee's eyes closed and her breathing became shallower. For the rest of the ride, Azula watched as her wife and her monster slept, their breathing timed in unison. The peace she felt at that moment vanished the instant the palanquin came to a jerking stop. The sudden motion caused Detia to jump up from her sleep, her feet tangled in the red silk on the floor, causing her to fall almost as soon as she stood. This action caused Azula to laugh, which woke up her wife who was leaning against her. "What happened?" Ty Lee's groggy sleep tainted tone asked, placing a hand to her mouth as she yawned.

'I fell,' Detia admitted easily as she sat up.

"Are you alright?" the acrobat asked only slightly worried, elbowing her wife who was still chuckling.

Detia nodded and moved to the opaque curtain covering the entrance and exit of their transportation. 'We're home,' she stated, the slightest hint of excitement seeping into her tone as she moved the curtain out of her view.

Impatiently, Detia pushed the curtains out her way and, even though she would have had to jump to touch the ground, made way to get out of the palanquin. Azula grabbed the back of the red belt wrapped around the child's waist just as she was about to jump, pulling her back into the covered area. "Hold it, you little monster. Patience is a virtue. As royalty, we wait for the servants to open the curtains."

Detia nodded but couldn't stop the pout from appearing on her face. She was ready to get inside and harass her cousin and uncle. So once the curtain was moved and tied to the side, Detia was up again and out of Azula's reach before Azula could stop her. The princess frowned as she exited the palanquin, again offering her hand to Ty Lee, though her attention was on the child who was waiting semi-patiently for her parents. "She's just a baby," Ty Lee whispered with a giggle. "Don't be so hard on her. You can't expect her to know proper etiquette. We can teach her all of that later, when she's older."

Azula only scoffed, crossing her arms in the long sleeves of her robes and continued to look displeased. Her frown deepened when she caught the smirk on Detia's face as they approached the waiting child. "I don't know why you're smirking, child," Azula remarked. "You're training starts tomorrow."

"Azula!" Ty Lee interjected pulling her daughter to her as they walked to the palace doors. "She's too young start training. You were at least five when you started."

Azula sighed. "Ty Lee, she is not me," The princess argued. "She's perfectly capable of starting her training now."

"Azula," Ty Lee whined, "you can't start her training tomorrow. She's too young and we just got home."

"You make it sound like you were gone for months; it was only two days. Her training starts tomorrow," Azula said finally.

"No, it does not," Ty Lee argued, stopping in the middle of the hall of the palace.

The princess stopped as well, a scowl painted on her perfect face, a look Ty Lee nearly managed to mimic. Detia watched silently at the little argument her parents were having. They forgot so easily that she could think these things through and come to her own conclusions. "No daughter of mine will be sitting around wasting her time when there are productive things that can be done, things she can learn!" Azula took a step closer.

"A week ago you couldn't have cared less about what she learned!" Ty Lee countered, also taking a step toward her wife.

Detia sighed heavily as she watched her parents inch towards each other. They were already close to begin with, so with one step, they were breathing the other's air, mere centimeters away. Though, Azula was a good head taller than her wife. In the child's mind, one of two things could happen. One, they would attack each other, a fight Ty Lee would win because they were so close, and she was a close range fighter. Or two, they would kiss and start doing things in the middle of the hall. Neither of which the child wanted to see. So, before either scenario could take place, the little monster replied, 'You know you could always ask me.'

Before Azula or Ty Lee could even turn to look at their child, another voice interrupted them. "Not even back for three seconds and you're already fighting."

"Mai," they said in unison, Azula's tone much sharper than her spouse's.

The Fire Lady walked up to her sister-in-law, niece, and best friend as if she had all the time in the world. Mai patted Detia on the head lightly before hugging Ty Lee. "Welcome home."

Ty Lee smiled and hugged Mai back. "It's good to be back."

Mai gave just the barest hint of a smile before parting with her friend and turning to her sister-in-law. "I would have thought that you bringing her back would mean that you worked out your differences."

Before Azula could reply with a snappy comment, another sharp voice interrupted her, causing her to huff in annoyance. "Azula," Zuko sounded displeased, but she couldn't bring herself to care. However, his tone changed the instant he caught sight of Detia and Ty Lee. "Ty Lee! Detia!" his pace quickened as he approached, picking up his niece and hugging her tightly. She groaned in annoyance, which caused Azula to smile. "You brought them back?" he asked his sister as he put Detia down.

Azula sighed, "Of course, Zuko. Where did you think I was going?"

He shrugged, not saying that he thought she just wanted to get away from the Avatar because she didn't like him. And his purpose for coming to her was to scold her for abruptly leaving in the middle of his explanation. And because Detia didn't exactly like his train of thought, Azula heard every word he thought. Her little monster's abilities amused her more than her brother's thoughts annoyed her. It also helped her mood when Detia stood beside her and took her hand. The monster assured Azula that she was only doing it to throw her uncle and not because she was trying to show affection, something Azula could understand.

Zuko was caught off guard for a moment when he saw the slightest affectionate smile on his sister's face when she looked down at her daughter. "Well, I guess all's well that ends well," the Fire Lord remarked happily as he knelt in front of his niece, placing a hand on her head. "I have someone who wants to meet you."

Detia frowned; she didn't really want to meet anyone else this week. Her mommy's family was enough. But when Zuko and Mai started to walk off, Azula and Ty Lee followed, and since Detia was still holding Azula's hand, she had to follow. "We'll discuss this little argument later," Azula assured.

"You bet," Ty Lee agreed.

'No,' Detia argued, pulling her hand violently from Azula's. Both of her parents turned to look at her. 'This is my choice. I want to start my training. I want to learn to fire bend. I want to learn new things. Please Mommy. Please,' Detia pleaded, coming up to her mommy and tugging on her robe. 'Please.'

"I won't go hard on her; it'll only be the most basics of the art. 'Unless she looks like she can handle more.' And it'll only be for an hour or two 'or three'." Azula interjected, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders, the closest to pleading she'd ever come. "Besides she's already trying to teach herself. At least with me she won't get burned nearly as much."

Ty Lee sighed and smiled. "Alright, if that's what you really want, then you can start your training with me tomorrow as well. Is that okay with you, Azula?"

Azula nodded slightly. "I'm okay with it. What about you, little monster?" Detia smiled widely, jumping up and down in excitement. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Well, now that that's settled, let's go meet our guest. I'm assuming it's Aang and Katara," Ty Lee inquired, taking one of her daughter's small hands while Azula took the other.

Azula only nodded as they followed Zuko and Mai's path to where the Avatar and his woman waited. They entered the well lit room and everyone inside stopped talking and turned to them. Katara gasped lightly at the sight of the child standing between Ty Lee and Azula, her white hair attracting the light of the orange fire. The water bender was the first to go to the child and kneel in front of her with a warm smile. "Hi, there," Katara said with an outstretched hand. "I'm Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. Do you know where that is?" Detia nodded once, letting go of Azula's hand to take Katara's. "You do! Wow."

"She's smarter than she looks." Azula commented dully.

Katara ignored the Fire Nation Princess, not even bothering to look at her. "What's your name?"

Detia remained quiet. "She's mute," Zuko offered. "She can't speak."

'Only to you guys,' Detia thought, making both her parents smile.

"I see." Katara replied, glancing at her friend. "Would you like me to see if I can heal that?"

Detia looked up at Azula, who shrugged. "The last waterbender who tried to heal her said that he couldn't. That the damage was too great," Ty Lee replied. "It doesn't bother her though and it's not inconvenient to us, so there's no reason for you waste the ability."

"But don't you think she would be happier if she could speak like everyone else?" Zuko inquired, knowing that he would like it if he could talk to his niece and she could talk back.

"No,' Azula, Ty Lee, and Detia replied in unison.

"Why does she have to be like everyone else?" Azula inquired. "If what he said is true, then there's probably a reason Detia can't speak verbally," she said, making sure to emphasize the word 'verbally'.

"She's right Katara." Aang replied, stepping up to his wife and placing a hand on her shoulder before she could say anything to counter the Princess.

'She really hates you,' Detia noted, looking up at her mother. 'I mean she REALLY hates you.'

Azula smiled smugly. 'I know.'

"So your name is Detia?" Aang asked, taking Katara's place in front of the girl.

Detia nodded once to affirm, watching the man in front of her carefully. He looked so familiar to her. She just couldn't place it, but she knew she had seen him before. Like his wife, the Avatar outstretched his hand to the girl. She was hesitant to take it. The instant their hands touched she realized where she knew him from. Images of a past life, of blood pooling like a river at her feet and smoke billowing from a once great and powerful city, a city reduced to ruin in what seemed like seconds, her city. The smell of burning flesh assaulted her like she was there so many years ago. The sounds of people screaming, moaning in pain, of children crying echoed in her mind. Then there he was, him but not him, standing upon the rubble of the great city, laughing in triumph, covered in the blood of the fallen warriors, her fallen warriors, her people.

The child's breathing became labored as she wrenched her hand free from this man, stepping back. Vaguely she was aware of her parents calling her, asking her what was wrong. She could feel her mommy's hand on her shoulders. But all she could see was the nightmare that kept her up at night, the genocide of a great and powerful, but few and peaceful, people at the hands of the man who was, but wasn't, standing before her. On some level she knew that the current Avatar had nothing to do with her dream, that it was a past life of his. However, that level was buried deeply in her mind. All she could think about was that she was not yet powerful enough to face him and live. She had to run.

And she did, backing up to the still open door and giving a whole new meaning to bolting as she rushed to her room, a safe place, leaving dark marks on the floor from where her bending scorched the marble as she ran. The instant Detia started running, Ty Lee chased after her, not only seeing the physical fear manifest in her child's body language but flaring violently in her aura. Azula stood with her brother, sister-in-law, and their guests. "Please tell me I'm not the only who just saw her move at the speed of light down the hall?" Katara remarked.

"I saw it too." Azula confirmed, amazed at her little monster's ability to use bending like that. She couldn't even move that took her years to control her bending in that manner.

"Azula," Zuko finally said, gaining his sister's attention. "What was that all about?"

Azula shrugged. "I have no idea," was her response, still too caught up in her child's ability to form a snappy retort. "Do you have any idea, Avatar?"

Aang shook his head in the negative, stunned at the child's reaction to him. "I don't know."

Azula lifted an eyebrow. "You don't know much do you?"

"Azula!" Zuko scolded, a tone she loathed.

"What!" she countered, turning to her brother. "He doesn't. Think about it, Zuzu. The Balance of the Gods, my daughter, disappeared from the face of the Earth not to be seen for thousands maybe even millions of years. But that was before the Avatar's time, so he doesn't know why or what happened. Who's to say that his very first life didn't do something to make her go away? And her departure created such a rift in the balance that the one who caused it was forced into her role."

"I would remember if that were the case," Aang defended.

"Would you?" Azula remarked, turning to him. "Would you remember your very first life and the things he did?" The Avatar was silent, knowing that he wouldn't remember unless he was actively looking. "Regardless, for some reason my child reacted negatively towards you. Whatever you did in this life or the last scared her so much she ran out of the room, which is saying something since she's MY daughter." The group conceded that to be the truth, Azula wasn't known for running away. "As such, I don't want you around her, ever."

With that said, Azula turned and walked in the direction both Ty Lee and Detia had run in. Aang sighed dejectedly. He'd never been banned from seeing a person before, especially a child. In fact, usually the opposite happened. A woman had even offered her son for him to raise as his own. He declined of course, but still, it had happened. His wife pulled him into a light hug that he returned. "It'll be okay," the water bender cooed.

"No, it won't. I have to figure out why she acted like that. One of my past lives has to know something," the Avatar said with conviction, turning from his friends. "I'm going to meditate."

"Aang wait, I'll come with you." He turned to look at her with a lifted eyebrow. "You know I always make you calmer," Katara argued as she followed her husband to one of the many gardens in the palace.

The royal couple only watched their friends go, not saying a word. "Well, on the bright side," Mai remarked, breaking the ice, "at least Azula accepts that Detia is her daughter."

Zuko smiled and nodded excitedly. "That's true. And she was acting all motherly, who would have guessed?"

~x~

Azula walked elegantly down the halls of the palace, ignoring what her brother and sister-in-law had said. Sometimes she wished the walls didn't echo like they did. She would hate to have to break her brother's heart by telling him that she wasn't sure she believed Detia was hers or not. Wait, that wasn't true, she would love nothing more than to break his soft, weak, bleeding heart. But then it would somehow get back to Ty Lee what she said and that was an argument she did not want to get into if she could avoid it. Besides she claimed the girl, whether they were biologically related or not. There were simply too many Pros than there were Cons to claim her. Hell, she had a goddess for a daughter. How many people could say that?

With a smirk the princess continued following the black marks that scarred the marble floor and considering their direction, figured she was heading towards the little monster's room. Sure enough, when she made it to the room, after she noticed the hand-shaped scorch marks on the door, Azula saw her wife on the floor holding the little monster, who, to her credit, was not crying. The little monster was shaking like a leaf, but she wasn't crying. Azula took a moment to admire the canopy bed that had replaced the crib, allowing the child to calm down before she addressed her. All in all she was pleased with the bed, though she thought it was a bit large for such a small girl. "Azula," Ty Lee called, causing the princess to turn her attention to her wife. "She won't tell me what frightened her. All she'll say is 'My Nightmare'."

Azula walked to her wife and child, who were sitting on the floor, and knelt, placing a hand on Detia's head. When the little girl's golden eyes met her own she asked, "Was the Avatar in your nightmare?"

Detia nodded. "Do you know what her nightmare is about, Azula?" the acrobat asked.

"No," Azula answered honestly as Detia buried her head in Ty Lee's chest, clinging to her mommy.

'You don't want to know, either,' Detia remarked, glancing at Azula from her rather comfortable position. 'Thanks for the bed, though. The crib was getting tedious to get out of.'

Azula and Ty Lee chuckled. "You're welcome," Azula said. "But one day you will have to tell us about this dream." Detia nodded slightly, her hands balling tightly in Ty Lee's shirt. "For now, the Avatar won't come near you. I've warned him."

Detia giggled at the memory of Azula warning Aang. "Poor guy," Ty Lee sympathized with a smile. "You probably scarred him for life."

"I wasn't that bad," Azula protested half-heartedly. "Besides, he deserved it."

Detia nodded that she agreed then blushed when her stomach growled. Azula stood elegantly, a slight smile on her lips. "Come on you little monster," Azula said as she pulled Detia from Ty Lee, who stood as well.

The little girl wrapped her arms around Azula's neck to prevent herself from falling. She had never been this close to her other mother and wasn't sure how to act. With Ty Lee she could hold on tight, cuddle, and kiss her cheeks and Ty Lee would smile and promote it. Detia doubted that would work with Azula. So she held on as loosely as she could without falling off as they walked towards the dining room. "When was the last time you ate?" Azula asked, very aware of the distance her little monster was keeping with her, not that she really minded. She had no idea what she was doing either.

She only picked the girl up because it seemed like the right thing to do. 'It's been a while. Since before you came to get us.'

"Well, I guess we should get you something to eat," Azula remarked with a half-smile as she glanced at the happy expression on her wife's face. 'At least it makes her happy.'

TBC

A/N: The next chapter may take a while to post (family issues I have to take care of). But in it I'll be jumping a few years. I know Lu Ten will be five or six, it's his birthday, haven't decided exactly how old yet. And you get to meet the Gaang and their children. Most of them anyways, some aren't born yet.

But in the meantime visit my deviant art page, if you haven't already. There's a folder for my story and spoilers for future chapters. It's: http:/ feifei08. deviantart. com/ (without the spaces of course)


	6. Chapter 6  New

Of Fire

Chapter 6 - To Love

The sun shone brightly this morning, the golden rays casting down upon the most feared fire bender on the face of the planet. She breathed in the crisp morning air, feeling the sun ignite her very being, the power coursing through her veins like fire. Exhaling deeply the Fire Nation Princess looked over to the one year old child to her left. "Do you feel it today?" Azula asked.

The little girl's golden eyes looked up at her, locking on to them then casting down to the ground. 'No.' she said meekly, almost flinching when Azula sighed.

For a week now Azula had been teaching her daughter the basic steps to fire bending. The first day consisted of feeling the sun power the fire within. Detia, however, did not feel this empowerment and couldn't no matter how hard she tried. At least not from the sun. On the third day of their training a thunderstorm moved in and, much to the chagrin of her parents, Detia seemed to be everywhere at once. Ty Lee, because Azula was fine with letting the little monster do what she wanted no matter how potentially dangerous it could be, had to constantly stop Detia from trying to go outside in the rain and lightning. Though she hadn't told anyone, Azula assumed that stormy weather was the type of weather that fueled the fire within her little monster and though she still asked if Detia felt any form of change in her energy from the sun she didn't expect there to be one.

Besides the lack of change did not affect her little monster's ability to learn quickly and do the training exercises. Detia surprised both her parents on her second day of training, Ty Lee being there because for the first four days she wanted to 'watch' Azula train their daughter – make sure she didn't make her baby do anything beyond what a child could do – when Azula told her to do as many pushups as she could before collapsing and Azula counted to one hundred before she made the girl stop. When she stopped the pushups and stood her breathing was regular and not strained or labored. So, with Azula's permission, Ty Lee stepped in and showed Detia more advanced forms of pushups, using only three fingers instead of five. The little monster did a hundred of those before her breathing became slightly labored.

Azula took back over, telling Ty Lee that she could start the monster's training in the afternoon, which was when Ty Lee usually opted to train. Ty Lee easily agreed and moved back to her seat and status as a spectator. Since it was established that Detia had near perfect control of her breathing, the real training began. The basic fire bending techniques were easy for Detia to learn, have basically already taught herself. Azula only had to correct minor form errors and explain the way the energy flowed when using the forms.

"Alright then, let's get started." Azula replied, restraining her smile when Detia perked up and immediately got into the same exact stance as her mother.

They were half way through their lesson when the Fire Lord came into view. His stern displeased expression enough to make them stop practicing. "Azula," he called sternly, causing both to look over at him. "I would like to speak with you, in private."

Azula sighed, wondering what in the world he wanted to speak to her about. Detia tugged at the sleeve of her uniform, causing her to look down into worried golden eyes. She placed a hand on Detia's white hair and smiled slightly. "I'll be back, meditate while I'm gone."

Detia did as she was told and set in the grass, slowing her breathing and meditating. Azula watched for a second, to make sure she was doing it correctly, before turning to her brother and following him all the way back to his office in the palace. When he set she did as well. "What is the meaning of this Zuko? I was in the middle of something."

"I saw." He said the sternness of his tone making her lift an eyebrow. "Don't you think it's a bit early to start training her?"

"What relevance is that to you?" She countered.

"She's my niece, Azula." Zuko remarked

"And she's my daughter, Zuko." Azula said, her tone raised only slightly.

He sighed, changing his tactics. "Alright Azula, now I'm telling you. It is too early for her to start her training. I'm forbidding you to continue until she's older."

For a second she looked at him as if he had lost his mind. When his expression did not change to show that he was joking she stood and slammed her hands on the desk separating them. "You have no right to tell me how to raise my daughter."

"We had an agreement Azula. Are you going back on it?" He taunted.

She ground her teeth together, balling her hands into fist – Her sharp nails drawing blood – to stop herself from attacking him. "Fine." She said, her golden eyes alight with anger. "I'll stop training her." She stood. "You will regret this decision brother." Without another word she exited the office and stormed back to where Detia was still meditating. "Stand up." The princess growled. Detia did as she was told quickly and without question, the violent deep red color vibrating around her mother making her worry. "The lesson's over."

Detia nodded and followed her mother as the woman began to walk away. 'Maybe next time you could teach me a harder move, like the fire arch thingy.'

"There won't be a next time." Azula remarked coldly.

Detia stopped in her tracks, watching her mother's back as the princess continued to walk away, the smile she had forced melting like wax under a hot flame. The little girl ran to her mother, wrapping her arms around one of Azula's. 'Why! Did I do something wrong?' Azula didn't answer. 'I'm sorry, whatever it was I won't do it again. Please, don't stop teaching me. Please.'

The princess exhaled deeply, a puff of blue fire emitting past her lips as she stopped walking. She looked down at the little girl clinging to her arm and into the golden eyes rimmed with unshed tears. "You did nothing wrong." Azula admitted. "In fact I was very pleased with your progress." She sighed again and stooped down to her daughter's level, placing her hands on the little girl's shoulders. "You were doing great. But your uncle believes you are too young to start your training and has forbidden me to continue until you are old enough."

The little girl's white eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance. 'Why are you listening to him? I'm your daughter, not his.'

Azula stood. "It's complicated, I'd rather not talk about it."

Detia nodded, seeing very briefly in her mother's memory, her mother, bound in chains and covered in filthy clothes, and uncle sitting in his office. What they were discussing she didn't know and didn't have the time to find out when Azula stopped thinking about it. 'How long do I have to wait?' Detia asked innocently.

"Probably until you're seven."

'Seven! That's seven years from now!' Detia complained.

Azula nodded in understanding. "I know. Take it up with your uncle. He's the only one who can change his mind. Now, why don't you go find your mommy."

Detia nodded and turned into the direction she knew Ty Lee was in while Azula went into a different direction to work out her anger. The little girl turned back to Azula and watched as the princess stormed past several guards who all but fainted just at the sight of her. She wanted to learn fire bending, just as much as she wanted to learn to bend her body the same way Ty Lee did. And while Azula would probably still teach her the art of strategy Detia wanted something more from her mother. Something else they could bond over. With determination, the one-year old walked – not running because it was improper for a royal to do – to her mother's study. Bound and determined to be allowed to learn bending again.

~x~

Zuko was still in his office an hour after Azula had walked out on their conversation. Maybe he had been to rash and should have gone about it different. He really hated pulling that card on his sister, but she wouldn't have listened to him had he not done so. He was, after all, only looking out for the safety of his only niece. Though, Azula's parting words made him wonder what she had meant. He believed (hoped) that Azula had too much to lose now to do something that he might regret. He also believed that Ty Lee would agree with his actions, so he didn't have to worry about her. The Fire Lord was sure that Ty Lee was unaware of Azula's training sessions with the one-year girl. In his mind he was doing a good thing and couldn't for the life of him imagine what kind of negative connotations this could bring.

Of course when the doors to his office burst in violently, he couldn't help but jump. Though once he saw the little form of his niece standing in the doorway glaring at him, he couldn't help but think of how cute she looked all stern like that. Without a word spoken she walked up to the chair and crawled up into it, standing so that she could see him, then handed him a note. With a lifted eyebrow he took the note, unrolled it, and read the choppy script. "Did you write this?" he inquired and Detia nodded. He sighed. "I'm sorry Detia. You are too young to be training, maybe when you're five, at the youngest but no sooner. This is for your own good. You'll understand when you're older."

Detia scowled, eyebrows furring together as she looked at him. He only chuckled. "I'm standing firm on this, Detia. Nothing anyone can say or do can make me change my mind."

With that said, Detia grabbed her note back and the brush he had been using, wrote three words, got off the chair, set the note back on his desk and left the office. He shook his head at how Azula-like she was acting as he took the note and read it. The words on the note made his heart sink, but he sighed and rationalized that she was too young to understand and with time she would forgive him. He hoped that she had some of Ty Lee in her and would forgive him soon, like tomorrow.

~x~

A week passed and Zuko didn't see Detia at all. Though he wasn't worried, he was unusually busy. So busy that, against his better judgment, he had to send Azula - with Sokka and Aang - to one of the colonies to quite a small rebellion. She would be coming back today with good news he hoped. He was walking down the halls of the palace conversing with Katara about the shaky treaty made with the water tribes when he noticed Ty Lee looking around worriedly. "Ty Lee," he called getting the acrobat's attention.

"Hey, guys." Ty Lee said as she walked over to the Fire Lord and Katara, looking around as she did.

"Are you looking for something?" Katara asked.

The acrobat nodded. "Yeah, have you seen my daughter?"

"Detia? No, why?" Zuko asked.

"She's been running off again and coming back burned." Ty Lee explained. "I thought it was because Azula's not here to train her but it started before Azula left. I just don't know what's going on. Neither would tell me anything." The acrobat whined.

Zuko was taken back for a second, "You knew about Azula training Detia."

"Yes." Ty Lee answered simply.

"And you approved of it?" He inquired.

"Well, not a first. But that's what Detia wanted and Azula keeps her safe and unharmed. So, yes I approve." The acrobat informed, getting suspicious at the color of his aura. "Zuko, what is this all about? What do you know?"

The Fire Lord looked around worriedly, rubbing the back of his neck, before meeting his sister-in-law's grey eyes. "Well, I kind of told Azula not to train her anymore because she's so young."

"You did what!" Ty Lee yelled, taking both Katara and Zuko by surprise. "How dare you! Just, how dare you!" She was so angry that was the only sentence she could think to say.

The acrobat was unaccustomed to feeling so angry and wasn't quite sure how to handle it sans violence. So she threw all logical thought out the window and went with her instincts. Before Zuko could register what was going on Ty Lee was in his face, her usually pleasant pink aura a deep angry red. She jabbed him in the chest, causing him back up a little. "How dare you! What gave you the right…. What made you even think that telling her to stop would be okay?" She jabbed him again, the action causing Katara to flinch – she knew first hand what those deceivingly dainty hands could do.

"Ty Lee, calm down." Zuko tried.

"No!" Ty Lee denied. "I will not calm down. I don't tell you how to raise your son and you shouldn't tell me how to raise my daughter. When Azula gets back you better take back what you said. You shouldn't have interfered anyway."

Zuko frowned. "Ty Lee, I am sorry but that is one thing I can not do." The acrobat leveled a glare at her bother-in-law that made him think that she had been spending too much time with Azula. "She's only a baby, Ty Lee. Fire bending is a dangerous art…"

"So you agree. Without the right training Fire bending can hurt you or someone else. Detia's been training herself, Zuko, with no supervision. If you don't take this order back and she gets seriously injured…"

A shrill scream echoed through the halls of the palace, interrupting Ty Lee's train of thought. "What was that?" Katara asked.

"Detia." Ty Lee whispered, and then took off running in the direction she had seen her daughter wondering around in. "Detia!" She called out loudly.

Both Zuko and Katara followed.

~x~

Azula set in the palanquin, her hand propping up her head. The 'task' Zuko had sent her on was one of the stupidest, most boring things she had ever done in her life. After a few correctly worded promises, that really meant nothing at all, she had quieted the 'rebellion' and their politicians. Honestly, the airship ride home took longer than the resolution. And she was glad to be back in the capital and almost home. Already she had the rest of her day planned out. First she would inform her brother on what happened, which she hoped would take less than ten minutes, then spend a good six hours with her wife. Following that she would find her daughter and teach her a thing or two about strategy. That was her plan and she had every intention of going through with it until a scream rang through her mind. One she knew all to well and made her jump to attention. For a second Azula opened the curtain to look at the palace, judging its distance.

It wasn't that far away but riding the palanquin would still take her half an hour. She didn't have that time; her little monster could be seriously hurt. So, with little worry about how it made her look to her people, Azula ordered the Palanquin bearers to stop and put her down. They followed orders without question and once her feet touched the ground and she was in the proper stance (which took less than 30 seconds) she was off. A constant burst of blue flame from her feet and fist propelled her to the palace like a rocket at a speed no normal human could manage. She didn't even wait for the palace doors to open, simply shooting herself up over them, landing on the other side in a roll and took off again, this time without the fire.

Almost immediately she found her wife in her arms, tears streaming down her face. "What happened?" Azula demanded.

Ty Lee shook her head, her arms tightening around Azula's waist. "We can't find her. We've searched for hours."

"That scream just a second ago, was it…?" Azula questioned.

Ty Lee nodded and through her tears she said. "It was. I've been calling and calling for her and she answers but we can't find her."

"Who is 'we'?" Azula asked.

"All of us." Zuko said from behind his sister, causing her to turn.

She turned to see Mai, Zuko, Katara, Lu Ten, Katara's only child whose name she didn't know and Sokka's oldest son, who she assumed was named Atreyu – since she had just spent four days with that idiot, Sokka, and all he seemed to talk about was his kids and wife. "And none of you have been able to find her?" Azula asked, her tone incredulous, but she really wasn't surprised at their lack of skill.

"We've localized her location to somewhere close to the main conference room." Zuko informed.

Azula scowled. 'Detia.' She called the girl mentally.

'Yes.' The little voice whimpered.

'Are you injured?' Azula questioned.

'Yes.' Came the same reply.

'Is it bad?'

'Yes.' Detia answered, causing Azula's scowl to deepen and Ty Lee to start crying again.

'Where are you?'

'Where I train." Detia answered.

'The same place I saw you training in before you left?' Azula asked, her expression lightening slightly, showing what she remembered of the training area to her daughter.

'Yes, that's it.' Detia confirmed.

Azula nodded and let go of her wife. "I know where she is. She's injured." The princess informed, not waiting for anyone as she stormed off into the direction of the main conference room.

It took her five minutes to basically run – seeing as she was walking so fast – to the hidden door where she first caught her daughter fire bending. Like she had the last time she stood in front of what appeared to be a wall and pushed on it. It didn't budge. "Azula, that's a wall." Katara pointed out.

Azula huffed in irritation as she glared back at Katara. She hit the wall with her fist, the sound echoing in the silent hall. 'Detia are you in there?' the princess required.

'I can hear you.' The little monster confirmed.

"What's wrong with the door?" Azula said aloud.

'I don't know I can't see it.' Detia answered.

"Can you move to see it?" Azula asked.

There was a pause then a loud whimper – which only Ty Lee and Azula heard. 'No, I can't move. I'm far enough away, just break it down.'

"Alright then, cover your head." Azula announced as she moved away from the wall. "You might want to step back." Everyone did as she said and stepped away from her.

With a large blast of hot blue flame the hidden door was ash in seconds. When the doorway was revealed Katara immediately used her water to extinguish the fire. Though, Ty Lee and Azula had already rushed in, disregarding the blue flames that ate at the wood – a few minor burns were the least of their worries. Her parents found Detia sitting in chard grass in the middle of an area that had much more charring than Azula remembered. The little girl looked up at them in embarrassment, her golden eyes red and puffy from the tears that left trails down her cheeks – cutting through the blood that smeared her pale face.

'I think I broke my leg.' The little voice admitted, causing both Azula and Ty Lee – who had been focused on the blood on the girl's face – to look down at her legs.

Ty Lee gasped when she saw the blood that pooled around Detia's right leg. The little girl's once pale hands were coated in red as they applied pressure to the wound they covered. The acrobat turned away, unable to see anymore as Azula knelt to her daughter. "Move you hands." Azula ordered softly, noticing the scraps of fabric that had been torn from Detia's pants lying discarded beside her.

Tentatively Detia removed her hand, revealing the wound. A hole, about one and half inches in circumference, lay a little higher than half way down her shin. "This looks more like someone stabbed you than you broke your leg." Azula mumbled as she placed her larger hand over the wound, "Damn it Katara, what the hell is taking you so long to get over here!"

"Well excuse me." Katara answered back sarcastically as she ran over to Azula. "But the door was on fire."

"That didn't stop us." Azula countered crossly.

Katara only huffed then gapped at all the blood. "What happened?" she asked as she knelt, readying her water skin.

"She thinks she broke her leg." Ty Lee answered as she gained up her courage and knelt beside her child.

"Show me." Katara demanded. Azula removed her hand from the wound, allowing Katara to inspect it. "The bone's been reset." She stated with amazement, then turned to Azula. "Did you do it?"

The princess shook her head in the negative. 'I did it.' Detia answered. 'You guys were taking so long.'

"Oh baby." Ty Lee cried, hugging her daughter as tightly as she could without hurting her. "I'm sorry it took so long. We tried our best."

"She reset her leg." Azula repeated what Detia said to Katara. "Now stop looking at it and heal it already."

Katara scowled at the princess as she took the cap off her water skin, drawing the water from it and incasing her hands. The instant she placed her hand on Detia's leg a low electric shock hit her body, dulled only slightly by the water. "Ouch." She called out pulling away from the girl.

"What happened?" Ty Lee asked.

"Nothing." Katara answered and went to touch the wound again, resulting in her getting shocked again.

It didn't hurt as much the second time and she didn't call out because she was half-way expecting it. But she persevered and went to heal the wound via water again.

This time Detia grabbing the water bender's hand and cried out 'Don't' as she sent a stronger current of electricity at Katara – forcing her to move away from her. "Detia! Why did you do that?" Ty Lee scolded lightly, more annoyed with Azula's chucking than her daughter's behavior.

'It hurts.' Detia cried out. 'Don't let her use water.'

Azula hid her smirk as she turned to Katara, who was still getting over the minor shock. "Detia does not want you to use water. You'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

Katara frowned but ultimately relented. After Zuko informed a servant of what he wanted it took only a minute before that servant returned with the items. He handed them to Katara who promptly used the needle and thread to close up the wound, Detia's head completely engulfed in Ty Lee's chest as the needle entered her flesh – tensing each time it did – and with the okay from the girl's parents used the wash cloth to clean the blood around the wound. Then she used the bandages and splint to wrap the leg and keep Detia from moving it. "All done." Katara said with a smile as she patted the girl's foot. "Now try not to walk on it for at least a week and remember to clean it every day so it doesn't get infected."

Detia bowed in thanks as best she could as Ty Lee picked her up. Azula stood as well, following beside her wife. Ty Lee glared at Zuko as she passed him. "I warned you." Azula said simply, only stopping for a second before catching back up to Ty Lee.

"You really messed up, Zuko." Katara stated. "Where did the kids go?" she asked.

"I told them to go play since we found her. You don't have to tell me I messed up, Katara. I didn't know this would happen though."

Katara nodded, cleaning her hands with a clean wash cloth. "From the scorch marks I'm guessing she comes here a lot. Next time, you should probably get all the facts before deciding to raise someone else' child."

"I think you owe Azula an apology, as much as it pains me to say it." Mai intoned, silently agreeing with Katara.

Zuko huffed and crossed his arms in displeasure before following Katara and Mai out of the hidden area.

Later that evening the Fire Lord found himself at the door to Detia's room, where the little girl had fallen asleep in Ty Lee's arms. Azula was only watching, running her hand through Ty Lee's soft brown hair that she unbound once the acrobat had drifted to sleep. "Azula." He called lightly, just loud enough to catch Azula's attention and whip the soft smile from her lips.

He gestured with his head toward the door, indicating that he wanted to speak with her in private. Very carefully Azula moved away from her wife and daughter, so not to wake them, and made her way to her brother. He led the way out of the room where he stopped and Azula gently closed the door behind herself, promptly crossing her arms. "What do you want?"

He frowned at her attitude towards him, like he always seemed to be doing with her around. "Two things." He stated, forming the two with his fingers. "First, good job with the politicians in the colonies. I got the low down from Aang and Sokka. So, good job. Not that I expected anything less from you."

Azula only stood there, looking annoyed - like she had better things to do, which she did. "And second?"

The Fire Lord sighed, "And second, I'm sorry." He said through clenched teeth.

Azula's eyebrow's shot up in surprise. "What was that?" she asked, just to make sure she wasn't hearing things.

"I said I was sorry." He repeated. "For the situation with Detia. She's your daughter and I guess you know what's best for her. So, you have my permission to continue training her, once her leg gets better."

Azula rolled her eyes, "Good to have your permission. Are we finished?"

Zuko only nodded and watched as Azula turned around and went back into her daughter's room, gently closing the door behind her. He sighed; at least it went better than he thought it would. He was sure Azula would throw his apology back in his face. With a slight smile he turned and left his sister's family to her.

"Azula." Ty Lee called her lover, as the princess entered the hallway from the training room.

Azula turned her attention to the acrobat's worried tone and expression. "Ty Lee?" She said back. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I guess. Well maybe not. It could be nothing." Ty Lee said lightly, temporally losing her train of thought as she eyed the woman in front her, the sweat from her workout glistening on her pale skin in the bright orange and red rays of the setting sun like small diamonds and causing the simple red tunic and baggy pants to cling to her every curve.

Azula chuckled when she noticed what had her mate so enraptured, enjoying the power it gave her. "Ty Lee." The Princess said sternly, grabbing the acrobat's attention. "Why did you come here?"

"Oh! Oh." The acrobat giggled. "Sorry, I got distracted."

"I noticed." Azula replied with a smile, placing her hands on her hips, drawing Ty Lee's gaze to her hips. "You're purpose?"

Ty Lee slapped her wife's arm. "You did that on purpose." Azula only chuckled – how she loved this power. "I came because YOUR daughter refuses to take a bath."

"Oh, so she's only my daughter now." The princess teased.

Ty Lee huffed and crossed her arms. "Well she sure is acting as stubborn as you."

"Did she say why she refuses to take a bath?"

Ty Lee shrugged. "Something about how it's healing and that water hurts the wound."

A slim black eyebrow lifted, "What?"

"I don't know. I don't understand what she's talking about." Ty Lee sighed, defeated.

She looked up at her wife's golden eyes when a hand fell on her shoulder. "I'll deal with it. I need to wash up anyways."

The acrobat smiled, "Thank you Azula, you're the best wife and mother ever."

Azula smirked. "I know. And how do you plan to thank me? You know I don't accept simple thank yous."

A seductive glint sparkled in smoky eyes as they clouded over with lust. Ty Lee pulled her wife to her by the front of her tunic, making sure they were pressed together as she leaned up on the pads of her feet to kiss the woman she loved. It was just a light peck on the lips that almost made Azula scowl. "I'm sure I can think of something." The acrobat whispered, the heat from her breath casting over Azula's lips and sending a wave of pleasure down the princess' spine. She pulled away suddenly, "But after you take a bath."

Azula couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her lips then scowled. "You're a tease." She accused when Ty Lee stepped away from her and started to walk off.

The younger woman only turned, smiled widely and winked. "You know it."

Azula chuckled and shook her head. "What on Earth am I going to do with her?" She said to herself.

"Love me." Ty Lee answered anyway as she continued to walk away.

Again the princess shook her head, watching as Ty Lee purposely swayed her hips as she walked. "Tease." She said again, this time under her breathe.

Only when Ty Lee turned the corner did Azula start making her way to her daughter's room. She found the girl sitting up on the couch in her room, her injured leg propped up on a pillow with her back resting against the armrest as she fiddled with a puzzle cube one of the servants had given her. The little monster looked dirty. Her short white hair that barely reached past her ears was oily and un-kept, which was odd considering she had barely enough hair to cover her head. The clothes she wore were crinkled and looked stained. Even the bandages around her leg looked dirty. The girl's golden eyes looked up at Azula when the princess entered.

"You look filthy." Azula stated.

'I'm not taking a bath.' Detia said sternly.

Azula crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow. "I don't believe you have much of a choice. Unless you give me a good logical reason you're taking a bath."

Detia frowned fiercely then sighed when Azula didn't relent. 'It hurts.' Detia answered. 'The water hurts my leg.'

"Of course it hurts." Azula replied. "You heard what that water peasant said. It needs to be cleaned or it will get infected and then we'd have to cut it off. Do you want that?"

'No.' Detia answered.

"I didn't think so." Azula said as she walked over to her little monster and carefully picked her up. "So we're taking a bath."

'Together?' Detia asked, almost excitedly.

"Yes together. Will that be a problem?" Azula inquired, knowing full well that it wouldn't be simply from the smile on her daughter's face and the fact that Detia shook her head no rapidly as if she would never see a problem with it. "Good." With very little effort Azula carried the little monster to the bath in her room – seeing as it was bigger and set her down on a bench in the area where they changed. "You can take your clothes off by yourself, right?" Azula questioned, watching as her little monster just set there.

'Not really.' Detia admitted, her eyes cast to the ground. 'Mommy usually does it for me and I don't know how to undo the bandages."

Azula sighed, "Alright then"

With that the princess easily undressed her daughter, throwing the clothes in a nearby hamper and the bandages in the trash can – also nearby – then stripped of her training outfit. Again she lifted her daughter, who wrapped her thin arms around Azula's neck, and carried her to the large shallow pool of warm water. Before placing the little monster in the water Azula set Detia down on the edge. Carefully the older woman got into the water, letting the warmth sooth the sore muscles in her legs and lower stomach – seeing as it only came up to her waist – and moved so that she was facing Detia while still in the water. With surprisingly tender hands the most feared Fire bender in the world examined her little girl's wound. It was healing nicely but there seemed to be some red around the edges.

Azula concluded that it needed to be cleaned. Her hawk eyes met her little monster's and saw the worry and fear that the little girl tried desperately to hide. Though, she failed miserably at it. More than anything this confused Azula. "Why are you afraid? It shouldn't hurt that much."

Detia didn't answer as she scooped the warm water into one of her hands and let it run down her injured leg. The instant the water hit the wound Azula jumped back at what she saw. Small sparks ignited where the water touched – soaring a couple of inches from the little monster's wound like small fireworks. The sizzling sound of water evaporating rapidly reached her ears a second later. It was as if someone had tossed an electrical machine into the water. But once the show was over Azula noticed that the redness around the wound where the water had touched lessened. She looked up at her daughter, seeing the tear that ran down her cheek and the pained expression on her youthful face. "I see." She sighed, "I'm sorry but we have to do this." Detia whimpered lightly. "You're wound is healing faster when the water touches it."

Reluctantly the little girl nodded, bracing herself for the pain that was sure to come when her mother lifted her from her seat on the edge. Azula watched her daughter's expression carefully, feeling something that she hadn't felt before grow inside her chest. She identified this foreign feeling as remorse, though this knowledge didn't make the feeling go away it only prevented her from dropping the girl into the water. "I'm sorry." The princess said again with all the honesty she could muster.

Detia, whose eyes were squeezed shut in preparation, opened her eyes at the honest tone she had never heard her mother use before and looked up. She smiled slightly. 'It's okay.' Detia confirmed. 'It has to be done.'

Azula sighed deeply and gently lower herself and her daughter into the warm water, sitting on the stone bench made into the bath. Detia tried her hardest not to scream at the shocks that rolled through her body starting from her wound, grabbing hold to Azula's shoulders as the tears leaked freely – her small but sharp nails digging into her mother's flesh. The princess detached herself from the pain of the nails that draw blood, it was nothing compared to the pain she felt by hearing the little monster in her arms scream.

After the longest ten minutes of her life Azula noticed that the wound was no longer sparking and Detia was only whimpering in pain. "It's alright." Azula cooed awkwardly, wholly unfamiliar with situations like this. "It's all over." She tried.

For a minute Azula only held the girl protectively, apologizing with her touch. Finally, Detia's hands loosened their grip from her mother's shoulders as the girl relaxed a little. Every so often she would flinch from the residual pain but still she only whimpered, calmed slightly as Azula ran her hand through her short hair, whispering that it was over now. After a few more minutes Azula took a wet cloth and gently whipped away the trails of tears from Detia's cheeks. Then proceeded to wash both herself and her child, surprised at how easy it was considering Detia didn't let Azula go or move away from her.

When the task was finished the princess exited the tub and entered the changing room, sitting her yawning daughter on the bench again. Quickly she dawned a red silk robe with golden dragons embroidered around it. Then turned back to her daughter, holding another much smaller red robe of the same design. With a little more difficulty than she would have liked – seeing as the child in her care was about to fall asleep – Azula dressed Detia in the robe, tying it loosely around her waist. The princess smiled triumphantly when she finished that simple task, since it was her first time doing it. Next she took the clean bandages and splint the servants had left and wrapped her daughter's leg, placing a salve Katara had given Ty Lee on the stitches beforehand. While Azula wrapped the appendage she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder.

She didn't move, since she immediately noticed that her little monster had fallen asleep and fell forward onto her shoulder. It surprised her how much it warmed her heart that her daughter trusted her enough to fall asleep like that. Just looking at the small child as she picked her up made her happy. It made her wonder how her parents could be so cold when all she wanted was to protect and love her daughter. Azula smiled, she liked saying that, her daughter.

Slowly she made her way to her bed, gently lying down – her daughter still resting against her chest. She wasn't sure how long she stayed in bed thinking about nothing and almost drifting to sleep. The bed being weighed down woke her from her almost slumber and she glanced over to see what had moved on the bed – coming face to face with her Ty Lee. "Ty Lee." She whispered lightly, not wanting to wake the girl in her arms.

The acrobat giggled. "I see you gave her a bath." She said, kissing her lover before kissing her daughter's cheek. "Did she give you any trouble?"

"No." Azula answered, her hand running down her daughter's small back in a soothing warm wave. "She was very good."

Ty Lee's smile widened. "I heard her scream and came running." She admitted as she lay down beside her wife and daughter, scooting closer to them until Azula's arm was wrapped around her waist. "Imagine how surprised I was to find you with her and that remorseful look on your face."

"What about it?" Azula scowled.

The younger woman giggled again. "Nothing, it just makes me happy to see that you love her so much now."

Azula froze at those words, wondering when her feelings for her little monster had changed. She couldn't remember any one time but she did know they had changed. The princess graced her wife with a true smile, kissing her on the nose. "You're right. I do love her."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7 new

Of Fire

Chapter 7 – Headache

The early rays of the rising sun filtered through the deep red canopy. She groaned mentally, a sharp pain jabbing into her head. She winced at the sudden unexpected pain. Something was off, she realized it the instant the sleep-induced fog cleared from her mind. Her head pulsed almost violently as endless voices filled her head. Instinctively she placed her hands over her ears, curling into a fetal position. Though, it did nothing to stop the onslaught of voices, each new voice louder than the next. She wanted to scream but all that came out was a light whoosh of hair, her voice box producing no sound.

A knock came to her door, the sound vibrating into her head, increasing the pulsing and the sharp jabs. "Princess." A servant's voice. She knew this voice and focusing on it dulled the pain of the others. "Is she in there?" the words rung in her head, whether they were said or thought she couldn't tell. But they joined the endless others as they all crashed into focus like a tsunami. "Princess," The voice was closer this time "you'll be late."

Late. The word echoed in her mind, how it did that with the clutter of the other voices she didn't know. But she didn't care. She couldn't be late. Her mother would not approve if she was late. Bad things could happen if she was late. The covers over her head lifted from her, whether she did it herself or the servant did it she couldn't tell. She turned towards her window to judge the time and was sent reeling. Never had she hated the sun until that moment as its golden rays pierced her eyes like white-hot knives. The voices in her head grew louder as the spikes of white crashed into her eyes, lowering her defenses. The combination of the two blinded her for a moment longer than normal.

Vaguely she heard the servant sigh, "Come now, princess. It's not that bad."

She wanted to growl but instead set as still as possible as the servant dressed her, building the walls in her mind to keep out the voices. The servant lifted her from the bed and set her on her feet, a moment of vertigo causing her to stumbled backward. "Honestly," the servant thought, the sound jabbing into her defenses like a well placed ball of fire to a wall of ice. The walls tumbled down violently and she almost fell. "Your mother will come looking for you if you don't hurry."

With all the stability she could muster she nodded and made her way to the door. She knew she must hurry, but every step was shaky and her trek was slow. A hand on the wall guided her down the halls as she kept her eyes closed, mitigating the light from the rising sun somewhat. By the time she actually made it the training area, where the sun was at its brightest, her mother had been waiting for well over half an hour. "You're late." The accusation stabbed sharper than the other voices, causing her to jerk back in pain. "What took you?"

The question was met with silence as she tried to make coherent words form around the voices. It didn't work and the silence lingered. Her mother worried, though annoyance was the emotion that showed as the woman walked into the darker part of the arena where her daughter lingered. "Detia." her mother called softly, noticing the way the young child slouched and the paleness of her face.

A warm hand fell to Detia's cheek, a caress that eased the stabbing pain a little. Detia leaned into the touch and sighed lightly at the relief, as minimal as it was. "Are you alright?" the question cut through the endless voices.

She had to be alright, she could not show weakness. Her mother did not accept weakness or failure. Fighting for her strength the young girl nodded, ignoring the nausea and the faintness. She could not be weak. She simply could not. The sentence repeated itself, dulling the hundreds of meaningless voices. "Good. Then let's begin."

Again Detia nodded, following her mother into the sharp unforgiving rays of the sun. She winced and stumbled but her mother didn't see. Everything had been going so well. Detia had just turned two, her small birthday party – which consisted of only her parents, cousin, and aunt and uncle – had gone off without a hitch. This wasn't supposed to happen, whatever this was. Her mother was starting too actually like her, to openly show her affection. Their bond was just starting to grow strong. The Princess Azula did not tolerate weakness, everyone knew that. And whatever was going on was making her weak. Detia's golden eyes looked up at her mother, who continued to walk to the middle of the arena. If she knew how Detia was feeling right now what would she think? Would she hate her, again? Would she look at her in disapproval or disgust?

Detia did not want to find out. Their bond was still too fragile. She could not be weak.

They stopped in the middle of the arena and began their stretches. Azula kept a close eye on the little monster, watching her shift and wobble. Never had Azula seen Detia act in such a way. That alone made her worry. Ty Lee's words from earlier that week rang in her ears as she watched her daughter fight to stay upright. The acrobat worried that Azula hadn't been forthcoming with the change in her feelings towards their daughter, that Detia didn't know Azula loved her. At the time Azula had brushed the comment off and hadn't thought about it again until this moment. Maybe Ty Lee was right.

Azula sighed as Detia stumbled for the tenth time in two minutes. Clearly something was wrong with her little monster. For whatever reason, though, Detia was trying her hardest to fight it. Azula hated to think of what those reasons would be. It was common knowledge that Azula did not accept failure and weakness in those under her. But Detia was the exception. Not that Azula thought her daughter was a failure or weak. The girl was only two years old and practicing fire bending techniques Azula didn't learn until she was ten. Detia had nothing to prove to Azula. It appeared that Detia did not know this, however, and that would have to change.

Detia's head rested against her chest as she touched her toes. Vaguely, she noticed Azula stand straight, her perfectly manicured hands resting on her hips. "Detia." her mother's voice called softly. Detia continued her stretch until Azula's hand was on her shoulders forced her into an upright position. "Detia that's enough." Azula's voice was like a beacon of light in the dark ocean of voices, drawing Detia's glazed golden gaze to her. Azula knelt in front of her, her hands never leaving Detia's shoulders. "Tell me what's wrong."

Detia shook her head very slightly in the negative, finding that moving her head to quick would result in her head spinning. "No, something is clearly wrong."

Golden eyes focused momentarily on Azula's before they closed. 'Fine.' The one word rang in Azula's head.

Azula almost growled but caught herself. This was not the time to be angry but stern instead. "Don't lie to me. You can lie to anyone else but not to me."

Flinching at the tone Detia nodded, pressing her hands to her ears. 'So many.' She managed.

Confusion lit Azula's eyes. "So many?" She repeated.

At that moment dignitaries from the other countries entered the arena, given a tour by one of the servants. Azula's cold golden gaze glared at them as she growled. By this time she and Detia would be finishing up their training for the day, but that wasn't what made Azula angry. She just didn't like being interrupted.

Had Detia been in the frame of mind to read Azula's thoughts she would have agreed. However, the instant the dignitaries entered the arena their thoughts added to the wave of voices already in her head. Crumbling like sand her walls fell, her mind overloading and she broke. A scream echoed in Azula's head, snapping her attention to her daughter. Her grip tightened around the small frame of the child as young golden eyes rolled back and the two-year old body went limp. "Detia?" There was no answer.

For a second Azula panicked before forcing herself to remain calm. Easily, she picked her child up and walked out of the arena, forcing herself not to run. After all there were others in the area and running would undoubtedly cause a stir in them. So, she walked, albeit quickly but walked non-the-less. Thankfully by some miracle Azula managed to avoid bumping into Ty Lee. The acrobat did not need to see Detia in this state, at least not until Azula could explain what was going on. She made it to Detia's room in record time, noticing her daughter jerk every time the sun hit her face as she did.

Carefully, Azula placed Detia on the large bed and quickly pulled the curtains to the windows closed. Detia lay silently, her breathing coming in slow even gasps and for a moment Azula thought the child was sleeping. Azula moved closer to her child, vaguely thinking that the bed was far too large for such a small child. The crimson layers of silk seemed to almost consume Detia. On her way to the bed Azula bumped into a raggedy old stuffed kitten-owl. Well it use to be a kitten-owl, the wings had long since been removed. Probably an 'accident' produced by one of Ty Lee's sisters when the toy belonged to the acrobat. But it was one of Detia's favorites now and Detia hardly slept without it. Not that Detia would ever admit that.

Usually the stuffed animal was hidden under the covers, where no one could see it. It being on the floor worried Azula even more. Detia jerked and whimpered when Azula placed the toy beside her, increasing Azula's worry. She need to find a doctor, was the thought that came to her mind. And luckily she knew just where one was.

~x~

Mai lay on one of the couches in one of the sunrooms, a cup of warm tea sitting in a saucer not far away. A warm hand rested gently on her bulge. 'Only four more months to go,' she thought tiredly with a mental smile.

She was bigger this time than she was with her son. But the doctor had informed that that wasn't unusual and neither was the fatigue and forgetfulness and increased appetite. Said doctor was sitting in a chair across from her, smiling and laughing with her husband. Honestly, she didn't dislike her doctor or the wet nurse. But she wasn't stupid and this wasn't her first pregnancy. She had felt two set of small feet kicking inside her. She knew, no matter how much the doctor tried to deny it, that there were two lives growing inside her. The doctor had only heard one heartbeat then promptly assured her that most expecting mothers at one point or another in their pregnancy worried about having twins.

The Fire Lady had only rolled her eyes, she wasn't making this up. She sighed lightly, once she gave birth to twins that would show them. Idiots. Still, she wished her pregnancy was as easy as Ty Lee's had been. Luck was not on her side in that manner, Mai was still reeling from morning sickness and walking down the hall seemed to be a daunting task and oh by the spirits she hated it. To make matters worse (or better depending on how she felt that day) Zuko was always hovering nearby. He was such a mother hen. She was pregnant, not invalid, even if she was ordered to partial bed rest.

One of the twins kicked and Zuko's smile softened but he continued to converse with the doctor. Mai had long since stopped listening and really wanted to take a nap. The doctor was giving them a verbal list of what Mai should and should not do. No strenuous activity (duh), lots of sleep (if he'd leave she'd get right to it), No alcohol or any kind of smoking drug (she didn't like those anyways), eat plenty healthy foods and not to worry about any stretch marks (not that she had any, thanks to the many days spent in the royal spa).

She was almost relieved when Azula burst into the room, not bothering to knock. Not that Azula ever bothered to knock. "Azula." Mai addressed lightly in her deadpan way, not failing to notice that Azula was still dressed in her training clothes.

The Fire Lady looked out the window. From the position of the sun, Azula should have stopped training her daughter for the day and be in her normal royal attire. "Mai." Azula responded and turned her attention to the doctor.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak Zuko interrupted her. "Azula, what's the meaning of this?"

Azula growled as her hard golden eyes glared at her brother. "Detia collapsed for no reason that I can see." She informed.

"You've been training her to hard. She's only two." Zuko remarked, still somewhat sore over the incident with Detia when she was one.

Mai could see it in Azula's eyes and posture. Azula wanted nothing more than to attack her brother. "We had just started stretching. Her training hadn't even started yet, which she was late for."

The other three adults grimaced at that last statement. Everyone knew what type of person Azula was and tardiness was unacceptable, especially from her daughter. The doctor stood immediately, "Where is she? I'll see if I can help."

Mai gave a sigh of relief as Azula lead the doctor out of the room. "Finally, I thought he'd never leave." Zuko looked at her with a forced smile, clearly worried about his niece. Mai sighed again. "Go after them, Zuko. You know you want to. I'll be fine and trust me, I'm not moving anywhere."

The Fire Lord smiled lovingly at his wife and stood, kissing her softly and telling her that he loved her before following the doctor and Azula.

~x~

Azula lay on her side on Detia's bed, her child laying calmly beside her. The doctor had been useless, at least in her opinion. He said he thought she was suffering from extreme exhaustion but every time a word left his or Zuko's mouth Detia would flinch. Then of course things got worse when Ty Lee found out. The acrobat was a mix of fury and concern, which of course she didn't hesitate to voice and every time her voice raised Detia would whimper and flinch. The instant Azula pointed this out to her wife Ty Lee calmed down, though it took a good ten minutes. Once the acrobat calmed and had time to think on the things she had accused Azula of doing to their daughter she promptly apologized, kissing the princess several times to help get her point across.

It had been a day since then, making this day two that Detia had been 'asleep'. Detia had been still, aside from her breathing, for more than six hours. Ty Lee spent most of her time with Detia and though Azula hated it she had to continue her role as Zuko's head advisor. Every spare moment she had found her in her daughter's room. This was one of those moments. Mai had pulled Ty Lee away from the room an hour ago, telling Ty Lee that the very pregnant Fire Lady needed help with something or another. Azula wasn't listening, not really, but from what she heard she was sure Mai would later regret letting Ty Lee help decorate the baby's room. It was an obvious lie, anyways, but Ty Lee was tired with worry and followed with only a little complaining. Leaving Azula with Detia.

Azula placed a large warm hand on her daughter's chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breathe. With all the amazing things the little monster could do it was easy to forget that she was only a little girl, no more than a toddler. Hard golden eyes became vacant as Azula thought over her actions for the past year. The going had been slow with bonding with her daughter, she realized. Yes, she loved Detia but she never did show it physically. Not like she should have. She reasoned in the past year that Detia was smart and could read minds so surely she knew how Azula felt.

Ty Lee was always open with her emotions. There was no doubt to anyone that the acrobat simply adored the little girl, would do anything for her. The same could not be said about Azula, and Azula knew it. The princess knew that people still questioned her consanguinity to Detia. She heard it enough from the nobles and the servants when they thought she wasn't listening. Most of the time they were discreet about their gossip but other times not so much. Thinking about it, Azula realized that she really gave them no reason to think anything else. In the public eye she was the same princess she had been during the war. No one saw or noticed how her expression softened just a bit when her daughter entered the room. No one saw the pride shinning her hard golden eyes as she watched Detia practice.

Still, she wondered how much of what Detia heard, or overheard as may be the case, she believed. The princess knew first hand that if you heard something enough eventually you started to believe it. A warm hand brushed along Detia's cheek gently, smiling when the little monster sighed happily. Almost impulsively Azula leaned over and kissed her daughter's temple.

Detia's eye fluttered open for a second before she turned on her side and curled up to Azula. The princess gasped lightly before wrapping her arms around the little girl. "Are you awake?" the little girl shook her head no, making Azula chuckle. "What happened the other day?"

'Other day?' Detia questioned, the sleepy haze clearly showing through her thoughts.

Azula ran her hand through soft short white hair. "This is the second day you've been asleep."

'Oh.' Was the only thing Detia said, her tone still very sleepy.

"So, what happened?" Azula tried again, vaguely aware that the repetitive stroking motion of her hand was putting her child back to sleep.

'Everybody was thinking at the same time. I couldn't handle it.' Detia answered honestly, if not a bit meekly.

Azula paused for a moment before pushing her little monster back just enough to look in her in the eye. The silence prevailed. Suddenly, Azula set up, dragging the little girl with her. "Come on, sit up."

Detia did as she was told, her mother's hands lingering on her arms. It took much doing to drive away the sudden dizziness from sitting up. She fought it, the strain visible on her youthful face. A thumb pressed against one of the strain lines at her brow. "You don't have to do that." Azula assured, smoothing out the line. Confused innocent golden eyes turned up to her as the thumb moved down to caress her cheek. "You don't have to be strong. You don't have to fight like this. If you're not feeling well you don't have to force yourself. I won't be mad or disappointed."

Detia's golden eyes looked down in embarrassment at being caught. 'You…you promise?'

Azula pulled her little monster into a warm embrace, forcing the tears back. She didn't realize how much it would hurt her to hear Ty Lee's words proven true. "By the spirits, I swear." She pulled away, a single finger lifting Detia's chin before the child could look down – a gentle gesture that contrasted greatly with Azula's suddenly stern expression. Detia only glanced up for a second before casting her eyes down again. "Look at me." Again Detia did as she was told. "I love you. No matter what anyone tells you or you over hear I love you. You're my daughter, my little monster." Detia's small hands balled up, fighting the urge to bit her lips. "You don't have to be strong. You have nothing to prove to me."

Within seconds she found the two-year old in her arms, clinging to her tunic as tears rolled down her cheeks. Azula wrapped her arms around the little girl once again, kissing the top of her head. Right at that moment she vowed to not be like her father or her mother. Her daughter was not a weapon, was not a tool to be used and thrown away, and she most defiantly was not a monster to be avoided and scorned. Her daughter deserved more than what she got.

Things would be different. She was not her father. 'I love you too.' Detia responded hesitantly.

Azula's grip tightened as the words rang lightly in her head. For what felt like forever they stayed in that position, until Azula gave one final squeeze and let her go. "Okay, that's enough. I still have a reputation to maintain." She sighed and looked sternly at her daughter. "I do not want a repeat of what happened." Detia nodded, acting as if she was being properly chastised. "This means if things get to hard or you're not feeling well you will tell me." Again Detia nodded. "Also," she pulled the stuffed animal from under the covers. Detia blushed and looked down at her hands when she realized what it was her mother was holding. "This is not something you should be ashamed of." She handed the little kitten to her daughter.

"Detia?" Ty Lee's astonished voice called lightly from the door, turning mother and daughter's attention to that direction. "You're okay?" Detia nodded with a smile and before she realized what was going her mommy had her in the air and in her arms in seconds. "I was so worried. We were all so worried."

'I'm okay.' Detia replied, holding tight to her mommy.

Ty Lee placed her daughter back on the bed, smoothing out her hair as she kissed her forehead several times. "What happened? The doctor said you were exhausted."

Detia smiled softly. 'The voices were too much. It was like I was suddenly hearing everyone at the same time.'

"I see." Ty Lee said, though the explanation clearly baffled her. She shrugged it off easily enough and picked Detia up again, hugging her tight. "As long as you're okay now." Ty Lee stopped. "You are okay now, right?"

Detia nodded, glancing back at her mother. 'I'm okay now.'

~x~

It was early morning, like it usually was when Azula practice, the sun barely over the horizon. The princess suppressed a yawn as she made her way to the training area. A slight smile tugged at her lips, Ty Lee had kept her busy all night long. She sighed lightly, she really loved those long nights. The servants who passed, which weren't many considering how early it was, could tell that The Princess was in a better mood than normal but none of them said one word to Azula. For her part, Azula didn't even notice them pass.

She stopped as she entered the arena, hiding the smirk on her face at the sight before her. "Detia." Azula called, grabbing the attention of the two-year old child who was sitting on the ground meditating.

'Yes' Detia answered, opening her eyes as her mother approached.

"What are you doing here?" The princess inquired.

Detia stood with a lifted eyebrow. 'We usually practice this early, don't we?'

"Well yes. But are you feeling well enough to practice today?" with her concerns voiced Detia smiled.

'I'm fine. I'll tell you if I've had too much. But I don't think it'll be a problem.' Detia assured.

Azula looked skeptical. "You're sure?" Detia nodded as pride blossomed in Azula's chest. She sighed dramatically, "Alright. Let's get started."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8 New

Title: Beyond Birth

A\N: Another missing chapter for of Fire. This one is based before Chapter 6 but after chapter 5 and the other short story To Love.

Zuko paced the closed doorway that lead to the birthing room anxiously. The sounds of moaning and nearly silent screaming coming from his wife on the other side making him stop and stare for a second or two then continue pacing. Azula sighed from her position in one of the near by chairs as she watched her brother pace, glad that she was allowed in the room when Ty Lee gave birth. She sighed again at the hole he was literally burning into the marble floor. "You're going to ruin the floor." She stated getting his attention for a second before he continued his steady pacing.

Rolling her eyes she turned back to the two children who set in the room putting a puzzle together. "I'm going to be a big brother today, Detia!" She heard her four year old nephew, Lu Ten, announced excitedly and couldn't suppress the slight smirk that came to her lips when her two year old daughter rolled her eyes and sighed in an annoyed manner.

'I heard you the first five hundred times.' The little girl thought not even bothering to look up at her cousin, though Azula heard every word.

Lu Ten chuckled as he watched his little cousin place pieces of the puzzle together quicker than him. "I know you're probably thinking something like I said that enough in past..." He paused, counting his fingers to figure out how long his mom had been with child.

'Eight months.' Detia scoffed mentally.

"Nine months." The little boy concluded, causing Detia to look up at the ceiling and sigh heavily. "What?" Detia only shook her head and picked up another puzzle piece. "Aren't you excited? You're going to have a little cousin to boss around."

Golden eyes looked through white bangs, one eyebrow lifted slightly. 'I already have you to boss around, why would I need more?'

'Minions are good to have.' Azula thought to her daughter.

Detia looked at her mother, a thoughtful expression on her face. 'True.' Detia agreed. 'But I'm worried.'

'About what?' Azula inquired.

"You're having one of those silent conversations with your mom again aren't you?" Lu Ten interrupted.

His cousin nodded once then turned back to her mother, completely ignoring him. 'The babies are early. There could be problems."

"Babies?" Azula repeated aloud. "I thought there was only one."

Before Detia could answer a loud deafening shrill echoed through the walls. Zuko and Lu Ten jumped at the sound and stared expectantly at the door, as the wailing continued. Lu Ten was beside his father the instant he heard the sound, smiling like an idiot. "I hope it's a boy." He said to his father.

"Why?" Zuko asked in a failed attempt to keep himself calm.

Lu Ten smiled. "That way we can outnumber Detia and I might be able to beat her at well anything."

'Fat chance.' Detia scoffed as she stood and walked over to her mother, who had also stood.

Though Azula would never ever in a million years admit it, she was excited to see her new niece or nephew just as much as Zuko was when Detia was born. Zuko laughed at his son's answer. "I'm sure that if you practice harder you'll be just as good as her."

'No way will that ever happen.' Azula and Detia chorused, smiling at each other but not saying anything verbally because this was a happy occasion.

"Yeah but with two of us, my chances are better."

"But that's cheating." Zuko admonished lightly.

"It is?" his son asked, as if he didn't really know.

"Yes. Though, you could double team her with a sister."

Lu Ten thought a minute. "That's true!" he said excitedly.

Both Azula and Detia rolled their eyes. 'Never going to happen,' Detia thought. 'Besides there are two. We each get one."

Azula chuckled. "I don't think that's how that works."

Another scream echoed through the door, this one belonging to Mai, Ty Lee's loud coaching following along with it. The Fire Lord's eyes lit up in sheer joy. "Could it be?" He asked rhetorically.

"What?" Lu Ten questioned just as another weaker wail made its way through the door.

"Twins!" The Fire Lord exclaimed, impulsively hugging his sister and kissing her cheek, but moved away fast enough so that she was still too shocked to register what had really happened. He picked up his son, throwing him into the air before hugging him. "Twins, little man! You have two siblings!"

Lu Ten giggled happily as his father twirled around once. 'Are you alright?' Detia asked her mother, who finally came out of her shock.

"I'm fine." Azula said forcefully as she brushed invisible dust from her clothing, an action that caused her daughter to smile.

The door to the room opened, causing everyone to stop and look at the person who exited. "Zuko," Ty Lee called as she closed the door behind her, the grim expression on her face enough to instantly kill his good mood. "Mai wants you." He moved forward, his son still in his arms. "Only you."

Zuko nodded, setting his son on the ground and moving to the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob, exhaling heavily to prepare himself before entering, and closing the door behind himself. Ty Lee ran to Azula, throwing her arms around the taller woman's waist. "What happened?" Azula asked lightly, very conscious of the confused worried look on her nephew's face.

Ty Lee sighed and looked down at her daughter, remembering how abnormally easy it was to have her, and smiled softly. "It was twins," She started and Azula only nodded. "Girls. The first one…was so tiny. Well, they were both tiny. But the first one was only about two pounds; she could fit into my palms. And she was so pale and thin." The acrobat tightened her grip on her lover. "I figured everything would be okay because she was so loud and the doctor agreed. She needs to be watched carefully for about a week or two. But then the second one came; she was larger than her sister, about three pounds. I guess about normal considering they were premature. She was flushed all over. I…I thought that you know…since she was bigger she'd be okay too." She buried her face in Azula's tunic, gripping tight to the back on her clothes.

"But," Azula prompted, proud that her daughter had the foresight to take her cousin far enough out of range that he wouldn't hear their conversation.

"But the doctor said her heart is weak. He gave her till the end of the week." Ty Lee sobbed. The princess paused as she analyzed what she had been told. "Luckily Katara is on her way. Maybe she'll be able to help."

Azula scoffed. "If our water bender, who has years and years of experience, can't help; what makes you think that water peasant can?"

'Not helping.' Detia warned silently.

It only took one look into her wife's face to realize what she had said was the wrong thing to say out loud. "I'm sure that's just my biased speaking. Who knows maybe she can help." She quickly amended.

Ty Lee nodded and buried her head back where it was before. 'Nice save.' The little monster congratulated.

'Thanks for the warning.' Azula countered. "I'm sure everything will be okay."

"What!" Zuko's raised voice echoed out into the halls and probably through the whole palace as he stormed out of the room, past his family without a word.

"Daddy." Lu Ten called, following after his father.

With her cousin gone Detia moved to her parent's sides where Ty Lee promptly picked her up and hugging her tight. Detia laid her head on her mommy's shoulder and lightly patted her shoulder, the only manner that she could think of to comfort her. 'It'll be okay.' The little girl assured.

~x~

"Detia!" Lu Ten called, running up to the white haired girl who was sitting on a window sill in one of the play rooms looking out at the window at the stormy weather. She turned to look at him when her name was called. "Why are you always staring out the window when it thunders and lightning?" he asked impulsively, obviously not the real reason he was there.

Her curious expression turned flat and she pulled a piece of paper and a small brush that set off to her side to her and wrote in flowing clear script, 'What do you want?'

It took him five minutes to read what she had written, still not the best of readers. To him reading was boring and he would forgo it to play any hour of the day. "Oh! I had a plan to see my sister but I need your help."

With a lifted eyebrow the little girl wrote, 'Didn't Aunt Mai tell us to stay out of their room?'

Lu Ten shrugged after reading what she had wrote, "Well yeah, but come on Detia! It's been four whole days!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "You know you want to see her as much as me."

'Them.' Detia corrected but he didn't bother reading it, only waving the note off, making Detia roll her eyes.

"Whatever. Look, I need your help. You always find ways to sneak around the palace and I know you know a back way to her room that's not guarded. I'm her big brother and Dad said that as her big brother I have to protect her. How can I do that if I've never even seen her?" Detia was stunned silent at his well thought out argument. "So, what do you say? Will you help me?"

Detia smirked an awfully Azula smirk and jumped off the window sill, motioning for him to follow. "You're the greatest, I'll always remember this." He promised as she walked to the wall and looked around before pushed it.

Lu Ten smiled mischievously, almost matching his cousin's, as they entered the hidden passageway.

~x~

The instant Oppa landed in the royal gardens of the Fire Nation Katara and Aang jumped off, the others coming via Fire Navel Ship, protecting themselves from the harsh weather with water bending – though that didn't stop them from running to get out of the rain. Once inside the walls of the dry palace they were met by Zuko and Mai. "We got the message." Katara replied, getting right down to business.

Mai nodded, the dark bags under her puffy red eyes making her look older and more tired than she actually was, betraying the fact that she was human and hadn't slept for more than a couple of hours each night since her daughters were born. "She's this way."

Wasting no time on formalities the four walked briskly to the twin's room. Katara entered the room first, Aang following his wife in. "We'll give you room to work." Zuko said as he placed a reassuring arm around his wife, kissing her forehead. "It'll be okay. Katara will help." He reassured.

Not even ten minutes later Katara and Aang walked back out of the room to confront the two parents. "Wow, Katara that was fast." Zuko admitted surprised.

Katara shook her head and looked up at Zuko, the sorrow in her blue eyes bringing a tear to his eye. "I'm sorry." Katara said lightly. "She was already gone. I can't bring people back to life."

"You brought Aang back to life!" Zuko accused, throwing his hand to his side and sending a burst of fire that made both the Avatar and the Water bender flinch.

"That was different. I had water from the spirit oasis, Zuko. That's the only reason I could bring him back." Katara argued.

"Then go get more!" The Fire Lord Yelled.

"Zuko." Mai's deadpan voice said lightly, telling her husband enough was enough.

He sighed. "We're really sorry Zuko." Aang said honestly. "We did everything we could think of but I can't bring people back to life either."

~x~

"Detia are we going the right way?" Lu Ten asked quietly, holding his cousin's hand as she led him through dark hidden passages.

She only rolled her eyes and continued her steady trek through the maze of hidden passageways and room, making sure to get her cousin as lost as possible so he wouldn't be able to find his way through 'her' palace. "Detia." he whined, making her teeth grind in annoyance.

To shut him up she pulled him in front of her and shoved him as hard as she could, which was pretty hard, into the wall. With a loud 'umph' the prince of the Fire Nation crashed through the wall and landed on the floor to his sister's rooms. "That was mean!" he cried.

Detia smirked in satisfaction before placing a finger over her lips to tell him to be quiet. He placed both hands over his mouth when the near silent sound of whimpering reached his ears. With his hands still over his mouth he stood and followed his little cousin as she went to one of the cribs, pulling a small stool with her. "What are you doing?" Lu Ten whispered as low as he could.

She gestured to the stool, for him to get up on it. A confused expression came across his young face, complete with one near pitch black eyebrow lifted but he did as he was told and stood on the stool, Detia following beside him. One look into the crib answered all of his questions. There in the crib was the smallest person he had ever seen, wrapped in a pink blanket. He smiled and leaned into the crib, lightly touching the baby's short black hair, a tone much darker than his, one that rival his mothers'. At the unfamiliar touch the baby's little golden eyes opened and stared at her brother in curiosity but didn't cry. "Hi." He said lightly, with a huge smile on his face then turned back to Detia. "I want to hold her but I can't reach."

Detia sighed like he was an idiot and fiddled with the contraption on the crib letting the side down with practiced ease. "You are so cool." He said.

'I know.' She answered, aware that he couldn't hear her.

Without any hesitation he set down on the side of the crib and carefully picked up his baby sister, making sure he went over everything his father had told him when Detia was a baby as he held her. Making extra sure to keep the baby's head secure and lifted and to have a firm grip so not to drop her but not hard enough to hurt her. Detia watched him for a minute as he petted his sister's head. She could hear the little baby's thoughts and they were content and happy and simple, basic instincts ruled over her. In his four year old arms she looked normal to Detia and he seemed to know what he was doing.

But the room was awfully cold and there wasn't another mind she could hear. She looked around the rather large room, searching for the other crib. About a foot away the other crib set silent and cold and colored in deep blacks and blues. Though the crib was dark and creepy it didn't stop Detia from wondering over there. There were no extra stools but that never stopped her from getting out of and into her crib when she had one and she wasn't about to let it stop her now. So she did what she used to do, climb into the crib, finding it much easier now that she was bigger.

Hanging onto the rim of the top of the crib Detia looked down at the still form of the other half of the pair. A white cover was placed over the baby's entire body, leaving nothing revealed. With little effort the white haired child leaned in and pulled the cover away from her cousin. Once that was done she moved back to her original position and examined the baby. She was bigger than her sister, which Detia knew because her mommy had said so. Aside from that she looked identical to her twin. But the baby wasn't breathing. She could hear the voices of her aunt and uncle talking to the avatar and his woman. The water bender kept saying she was sorry and the Avatar would agree. Detia couldn't figure out why they were apologizing but really didn't care. It was the Avatar after all.

As she hung there, staring at the lifeless form of her youngest cousin a feeling came to her, a memory of sorts and she took the baby into her arms and dropped to the floor. Carefully she placed the limp body on the ground, judging – though she wasn't sure how she knew – that the baby hadn't been dead for more than five minutes. She didn't know why exactly or what that meant to her but the feeling told her it was good. So she did what her instincts told her to do and unwrapped the baby from the blanket she was in and put the body to her chest, walking to the doors to the balcony. "Hey Detia, where ya goin'?"

Detia turned to her older cousin and pointed outside, making sure to hide his other little sister as she did so. "Okay. Be careful, the weather's pretty bad." Lu Ten offered as he watched his baby sister. "Oh, wait!" he said as if he had had an epiphany. "It's covered, never mind."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. 'Idiot,' She thought as she continued on her way to outside.

~x~

"Is everything okay?" Ty Lee asked worriedly as she approached the two couples and noticed the despair and guilt that surrounded them. Mai only shook her head in the negative, gripping tight to her husband. "Did something happen to the baby?" Ty Lee questioned, hoping against hope that that wasn't what had happened.

Mai nodded once, her eyes downcast so no one would see her cry. "She didn't make it." Katara answered lightly.

That one phrase nearly caused the acrobat's knees to buckle. She would have fallen to the ground if Azula, who had walked up with her, hadn't caught her. "What are you doing around here?" Zuko asked, the sadness in his voice negating the rudeness of the question.

"The weather's clearing up." Azula answered, pulling her wife close to her body as she cried freely. "We thought Detia might want to go outside. You know how much she loves this kind of weather."

Zuko nodded. "She's around here?" Aang asked, the last thing he wanted to do was go against Azula's wishes concerning her daughter.

He had no doubt that she would kill him if he got near her little girl, not that he wanted to considering what happened the last time he tried when she was almost a year old. "She's in the twin's room." Ty Lee replied, finding her bearings. "Along with Lu Ten."

"What!" Mai nearly yelled, storming to the doors of her daughters' room and throwing them open. From one of the cribs she saw her son tense. "Young man." She said calmly in a tone that pretty much promised he was in trouble.

He turned to look at her bashfully, his baby sister still in his arms, "Yes, ma'am"

"I believe I told you," She said as she walked with a deadly purpose over to her four year old son, gently taking her daughter from him. "That I did not want you in here."

Lu Ten nodded pathetically. "You did." He agreed. "But I just wanted to see my sister. It's almost been a whole week and I don't even know her name." He argued in a pleading tone.

The ex assassin sighed, no way she could stay angry at her little boy for long. "I understand." she showed the baby to her son. "This is Ursa, you're baby sister. Now get out of her crib, you're too old for that."

He did as he was told obediently and with haste. Somehow he had managed to get out of the path of his mother's wrath and he wasn't about to do something to get him put back in it. Zuko smiled slightly, pulling the crib wall back up into place. "How did you get this down?" the Fire Lord inquired as Mai placed her now sleeping daughter back into her crib.

"Uh, Mai, Zuko..." Katara started, getting their attention. "Where's the other one?"

"What?" Mai and Zuko chorused.

"She isn't there?" Zuko asked rushing over to the crib just to verify what Katara had said.

"No." Katara answered.

A stern expression crossed Mai's face as she turned to her son. "I didn't do it." he denied quickly. "I didn't even know I had another sister."

"Where's Detia?" Ty Lee asked, interrupting what Mai was about to say, though it was the same question.

The little boy pointed to the covered balcony. "She went that way."

"Detia." Azula called.

'I'm out here.' The little girl replied with a soft laugh.

Azula motioned for the door to the balcony, Mai and Ty Lee taking the lead. Ty Lee opened the door but it was Mai who rushed out first. What she saw there nearly brought tears to her eyes. "Detia." Mai said softly as she approached her niece. The two year old looked up at her aunt from the chair she was sitting in, her eyebrow lifting at the uncharacteristic emotion showing on her aunt's usually stoic face. "Is…Is that?"

Detia looked down at the small baby in her arms, running her thumb over the short pitch black hair. When she turned back to her aunt she smiled, offering the baby to her. Hesitantly Mai took the baby, chocking back a sob when her youngest twin looked at her and cooed softly. "Z…zuko." Mai called. "Detia…how did you?"

The little girl shrugged as she jumped off the seat, landing soundlessly. 'It just seemed like the right thing to do.' She answered honestly with a slight smile as she walked back inside to her Mother.

"What did she say?" Mai asked, turning to Ty Lee who was standing behind her best friend, too shocked at the implications at what her two-year old had done to answer right away. "Ty Lee."

"Oh, right!" Ty Lee laughed nervously. "She said that it just seemed like the right thing to do."

"Mai." Zuko said, finally coming to his consort's side, Ty Lee moving out of his way. "You called"

"Look." Mai whispered through broken sobs. "She's alive.'

"By the spirits," He replied, hugging his wife.

He examined his daughter, eyes filling with tears. "What's this?" The Fire Lord questioned as he pointed out two burn marks one on the upper left side of his daughter's chest and the other on the lower right side.

Mai shook her head. "Does it matter? She's okay."

Zuko nodded but said, "We should let Katara check her out to make sure."

"What did you do?" Azula asked when Detia approached her.

Detia smiled as she reached her mother, lifting her hands in the air in a gesture that she wanted to be picked up. 'I'm tired.' The little girl almost whined, trying to stop herself because she knew how much her mother hated it.

Azula did as her daughter asked and picked her up just as Mai, Zuko and Ty Lee came back inside. Detia ignored them, even the Avatar, opting to lay her head on her mother's shoulder and curl up into a comfortable position. Before Azula could question her family on what had happened, Mai walked up to Katara, who was standing by Aang and watching Lu Ten as he watched Ursa sleep. Carefully Mai handed the baby to a confused Katara and said, "Make sure she's okay."

Detia closed her eyes, smiling when she felt her mommy come over to them. Though she didn't know how she did it, the little monster blocked out the voices of everyone, to the loud gasp the water bender made to the soft cooing of her cousins. She knew that the baby she had held would be fine so there was no reason for her to stay awake. Especially if they planned to badger her with questions she didn't know the answers to. So she drifted to sleep, knowing everything would be okay.

TBC

A\N: The condition that the twins had is known as TTTS – Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. TTTS is now believed to affect as many as 1 in 1000 pregnancies.

The Facts:

**The recipient twin** (often larger - Ezra) becomes effectively overloaded with the extra blood supply. Her heart has to work harder to pump the enriched blood around, which can result in heart failure. The recipient also produces far too much amniotic fluid - termed "polyhydramnios", which causes the mother to appear far further on in the pregnancy than she actually is. This excess fluid is not only extremely uncomfortable for the mother, but can often bring about an early delivery due to cervical pressure and ruptured membranes, and by directly stretching and stimulating the uterine muscles to contract. The recipient twin may also develop hydrops or edema (retained fluid) within his or her body, which in turn can lead to respiratory, digestive, heart, or brain defects.

**The donor twin** (often smaller - Ursa) becomes anaemic due to not having enough blood supply, and usually has a small amniotic sac (the bag of fluid in which the baby lives). This lack of amniotic fluid is termed "oligohydramnios". The sac is often very close to the developing baby's body, and the baby appears to be almost shrinkwrapped and "stuck" up against the wall of the uterus. When donor babies survive birth, however, they are often the baby that is stronger as their hearts have not had to work so intensely during pregnancy.

If left untreated, TTTS has a mortality rate of over 80% and can be the root cause of severe handicaps for the few survivors.

For more information go to: http:/ www. twin2twin. org/ (Minus the spaces)


	9. Chapter 9 New

Of Fire

Chapter 9 – Just a Game

Mid afternoon, as the sun started its descent down the sky, found a three year old lightning bender setting up a Pai Sho table in the main garden. The northern winds blew down a cool breeze, making the summer day warm and nice. White thin clouds dotted the otherwise clear sky. It was perfect day, but Detia was exhausted. Surprisingly, it was Ty Lee's training before lunch that had her worn out. The acrobat had woken earlier than normal and wanted to start training just a little early. Detia agreed eagerly, feeling confident and smug considering how well her bending training was going.

It was really her own fault. She should have listened when Ty Lee told her not to try bending that way. The results were less than acceptable, a torn muscle in her shoulder and a stern chastising from her mother for not listening. This little impromptu game she was about to play with her mother was something of a punishment, at least in Detia's mind. Azula had informed her that it wasn't a punishment but an excellent time to test how well Detia strategized while exhausted, that many a diplomat – including Azula herself – had to deal with these types of situations. Even still, Detia wasn't sure she believed her mother. It sure felt like some kind of cruel and unusual punishment.

She nudged the strap of the sling away from her neck, still unable to believe they made her wear one. Ty Lee had smoothed most of the pain away, unblocking chi paths while explaining how to do so. It felt marvelous and her apparition of chi blocking had increased greatly. The acrobat had informed the doctor that she had unblocked the chi and that Detia would more than likely be fine but just to be safe they put Detia's right arm in a sling, to help the muscle in her right shoulder – the one she tore – heal properly.

It was a useless gesture in her opinion. Even if she was still exhausted and could use a nap, she didn't need a sling. Detia forced back a yawn; a nap would be really nice. The smirk on her mother's face came to mind when Azula challenged the child to a game. Stubbornness and pride had prevented her from backing down. She really hated that stupid look her mother gave her, the one that dared her to say no and give up. Azula knew the effect it had on Detia, which is probably why the princess used it. One day Detia would be immune to that look, at least Detia hoped so.

With one hand Detia dumped the tiled Pai Sho pieces on the wooden board, quickly finding her favorite. The White Jade tile; harmonized with the Lilly and the Rose tiles and unlike all the other pieces disharmonized with none. At one point, not too long ago, she had tried to make her own White Jade tile and got so frustrated with it that she gave up. It was still her favorite, though. With a White Jade in her hand she began separating the tiles, one set for her mother and one set for herself.

"Well, hello there," the voice startled her, so focused was she on her predicament that she didn't notice the voice approach her. The thoughts were just like all the others, a dull ache that she ignored. Detia turned quickly to the intruder and recognized him instantly. Iroh, her mother's uncle, stood in front her a warm, inviting smile on his lips. "I don't think we've ever been properly introduced." He stated as he kneeled to her level.

It was true; they had not been properly introduced. And though many people, including Zuko and Iroh, blamed Azula for them not meeting it was Detia who avoided her great uncle. Ever since she could remember she avoided meeting new people, her great uncle was no exception. The incident when she was two did not help matters in that manner either. She watched him carefully as he did the same. Listening to his thoughts told her how odd he thought her hair was and that she looked exactly like a young Azula. After that she really tried to stop listening, but he was such a loud thinker. "Do you know who I am?" he finally asked.

Detia nodded. She had seen him around the palace enough to know what he looked like and that's all Lu Ten would ever talk about when Iroh was around. If she judged correctly, he came home at least six times a year. More so this past year because of the birth of the twins, but Lu Ten and Ursa loved him. Sometimes, and no one knew this, jealousy would bubble dully in the little lightning bender whenever she saw Iroh play with her cousins. Watching the way they embraced and laughed together, knowing that she would never have that. Of course when these thoughts entered her head Ty Lee – with the psychic power only a mother has – would kindly prove her wrong, killing the feeling instantly.

He bowed to her as best he could from his kneeling position. She returned the gesture out of respect for his age and nothing more. Zuko and Lu Ten were always praising the older man before her and though she tried she couldn't see what was so great about him. So what if he could divert the path of lightning or throw a child 'like fifty feet' (it was more like five) into the air? Her mother could do all that and more.

"What happened to your arm?" He questioned, bringing the child from her musings by almost touching her arm. She pulled away just in time to stop him, making him frown mentally. His question remained unanswered, not that Detia was capable of answering it even if she wanted to. "So the rumors are true, you cannot speak."

'Only verbally.' She thought.

But he didn't hear her, only smiled at the cross expression she gave him. Iroh's expression softened as he stood, looking over to the Pai Sho board. "Do you play?" Detia nodded and watched as he picked up a White Lotus tile, his thoughts telling her that there was something significant about it. "I am very good at this game." He boasted, not that Detia cared really. "Would you care to play a game or two?"

Detia shrugged, making him chuckle. In a gesture of familiarity, one he used very often with Lu Ten and Ursa and sometimes even Ezra when she allowed it, he placed a hand on Detia's left shoulder and jerked back almost violently. A thin listless line of white electricity connected the two for only a second, sending a small jolt into Iroh's hand. The jolt surprised him more than anything. Honestly, it didn't even hurt – only a tad bit stronger than static shock. He shook his hand out of habit and looked at the unapologetic look on his great niece's young face. The need to roll his eyes at how much like look reminded him of his niece was barely suppressed.

For her part Detia set in one the seats, placing the White Jade tile down on the board, her first move made. Taking the hint Iroh set in the seat opposite and placed the White Lotus tile in the exact middle. The game began. By the time Azula showed up the game had been going on for a little more than thirty minutes. Iroh was eyeing the board in deep concentration. Detia was staring off into the endless blue sky, fighting to keep from nodding off. Azula's chuckle gathered the pair's attention. "Azula" Iroh acknowledged.

"Uncle," Azula acknowledged back, vaguely wondering why Iroh always called her by her name but mostly called Zuko 'nephew'.

'It'd be weird to say 'niece' all the time,' Detia offered, glad for the distraction to keep her awake. 'Besides if someone called me niece or nephew all the time I'd think they forgot my name.'

Azula smiled, patting her daughter's head as she set down to the left of her uncle. "How's your shoulder?" Azula asked, ignoring her uncle though he was watching the exchanged with much interest.

'It's fine.' Detia huffed. 'This sling is stupid.'

Azula's smile widened as she assured. "It's a necessary evil, I'm afraid."

'You're enjoying this.' Detia accused with small thin finger pointing, earning a smirk from her mother.

"Maybe a little." The princess admitted. "I'm more surprised you didn't listen. You've never done that."

The little girl sighed in embarrassment, 'It didn't look hard. I wanted her to be proud of me.'

A perfect eyebrow lifted. "Everything Ty Lee does looks hard and this is Ty Lee we're talking about. I don't think there is anything you could do that would make her not proud of you."

Iroh remained silent as this conversation went on, deducing what it concerned with only hearing one side of the conversation. He had heard that Ty Lee and Azula could hear their mute child, but he didn't believe it until now. Having witnessed the exchange in person changed his opinion greatly. Clearly, Azula wasn't speaking to herself. Not with the way the toddler was reacting. What amazed him more was the affection he heard in his niece's voice and saw in her eyes. It was an expression he honestly never thought he would see or hear coming from a child of Ozai. 'Small miracles,' he thought as his attention turned to the little girl in front of him, her golden eyes bearing into his with a depth and knowledge a three year old should not have.

"So," Azula's tone cut through his thoughts like a knife. "How is the game going, uncle?"

He laughed lightly, "It seems that Detia is a very good Pai Sho player."

'His thoughts are easy to read.' Detia admitted easily, making her mother smile.

Iroh watched his great niece carefully before placing a tile. She countered quickly and mercilessly, surprising Iroh. Azula had done something very similar when she was young, not as young as Detia but still young, and he played against her. Iroh studied the board again. He looked at the white haired child across from him as she visible perked up, Azula not even bothering to look at her daughter as her eyes remained on the board. The older man turned in the direction that Detia was looking in as a servant entered the garden, looking tired and worn. In her arms was the one year old princess of the Fire Nation.

The little girl's dull golden eyes brightened slightly at the sight of her cousin as a broken 'De-ta' issued from her lips. The female servant came up to Detia with a sigh as the little girl in her arms struggled to get away, the dark circles under her eyes and lines on her face giving away how exhausted she was.

"I am so sorry to disturb you, princess." The servant started.

Detia nodded but it was Azula who responded even though she was still examining the board. "She understands. You can leave Ezra with us."

The servant sighed in relief and set Ezra on the ground, watching her toddle unsteadily the two steps needed to get to Detia, before leaving the royal family with a respectful bow. A little hand reached up to her older cousin, the other gripping an old white kitten owl with no wings. Detia looked at her mother who exhaled in annoyance as she picked her niece up only to place her in Detia's lap. The one year set happily for a moment before her attention was drawn to the pretty pieces on the table. Detia handed a piece to the infant, who promptly stuck it in her mouth.

"Detia," Azula warned lightly.

'She won't swallow it.' Detia promised, with a roll of her eyes. 'She just wants to chew on it. Her teeth are coming in and her gums hurt.'

Azula nodded her approval, though she was still scowling. Iroh set in stunned surprise as he watched his youngest great niece chew on the wooden tile. The infant's dull golden eyes focused on him, eyes that were too cold for any child, better less one her age. Almost a month after their birth was the first time he had ever seen the younger twin, her hard eyes staring up at him from her crib in a manner unbefitting an infant. The lack of innocence in her eyes startled him but neither Mai nor Zuko seemed to mind or even notice. So, he dropped the subject and never brought it up.

She was a quiet baby, who didn't cry much. Ezra was nothing like her happy twin sister and more than her exact opposite. Ursa seemed to need attention all the time while Ezra was content sitting outside looking into the sky – as if contemplating the meaning of life. The older twin was what everyone classified as a normal baby and was loved by everyone who ever met her, which was everyone because Ursa was just that type of baby who had to know every single person and/or thing. Ezra didn't care for many people, only allowing Iroh to hold her for a little more than a minute before trying to squirm away. Zuko assured Iroh that he had done nothing wrong, that Ezra didn't even let her own father hold her for long. Mai and Detia were the only ones granted the privilege of hold the younger twin. Sometimes Ty Lee was also granted this privilege but only because she was Detia's mommy.

Of the two Ursa was the first to take her first step and to say her first word. Mai informed Iroh that Ezra was like Detia, in that she was quiet but intelligent. The Fire Lady even laughed when she explained why Ezra started walking. Detia was napping on a couch in the play room that day – worn from her training – and Ezra wanted her but the lightning bender was too asleep to hear Ezra calling. So, the little princess stood and toddled to her cousin, falling a couple of times but started again undeterred. Ursa's first word was dada and was said when she was barely seven months. The older twin was known to jabber incoherently for the longest time, but her vocabulary was still larger than her sister's. Ezra could only say a few words verbally; no, Mama, Dada, Ten, De-ta, Ty, and Zula (of all things). But she could sit with Detia and have a conversation for hours, a silent conversation that no one else could hear entirely but a conversation none-the-less.

At the moment, the one-year old seemed almost happy. At least happier than Iroh had ever seen her. "Don't let her hurt your arm." Azula remarked, mostly as an afterthought.

Ezra scowled cutely, the image made even more adorable by the tile sticking out of her mouth. Iroh chuckled at the expression, his smile growing when a small arm pulled back. Azula caught the stuffed toy that was thrown at her, a toy that use to belong to her daughter. Even now, the toy still vaguely smelled like Detia and no doubt helped Ezra sleep in her own bed. Though, now that Ezra could stand up and walk the infant found herself in Detia's room most nights – sound asleep with her cousin and the kitten owl.

Placing the toy on the table Azula smirked at her niece, impressed with force behind the throw. Of all of her brother's children Ezra was the one she liked the most and yes, Azula did show favorites. Tolerating the child's presences was the biggest show of favoritism. In Azula's mind, there was no child better than her own and other children were merely tolerated because there was no way they could even get close to being as fantastic as her little monster. "Well, uncle." Azula drawled, gaining Iroh's attention. "I believe you have a game to play. Please continue. Detia needs to take a nap."

Iroh nodded, placing a tile down, as he looked the white-haired child over. Without breaking eye contact Detia pulled the tile from her cousin's mouth and placed it on the board, giving Ezra another one before the infant could even make a noise in disagreement. "I can see you two get along very much." Iroh remarked in a thinly veiled form of distraction – placing another tile down.

He was talking to Detia but Azula answered again, "She likes to say that Mai had twins so that she and Lu Ten could each get one."

Iroh snorted before chuckling. 'It sounds logical to me.' Detia defended, not the least bit perturbed at being made fun of – anger did not come easily to the lightning bender.

Azula smiled at her daughter as the girl placed a tile on the board. "I know it does. Finish this game quickly now," Leaving unspoken that she wanted Detia to rest.

Vibrant golden eyes turned to Iroh, a slight tilt of her head enough to inform him that it was his turn and he should hurry. The older man looked down at the board, tallying up his harmonies and disharmonies versus hers and sighed. He knew a losing game when he saw one. Before he even verbally forfeited Detia slipped from the chair, Ezra clinging to her good shoulder. With little effort Detia pulled the tile from Ezra's mouth and offered it to Azula, 'Trade you.'

Gingerly Azula took the tile, barely suppressing a cringe at the saliva clinging to it, and handed Detia the stuffed toy. Ezra grabbed it before Detia could and crushed it to her. Both Detia and Azula thinking that it was a good thing the toy was stuffed and not a real animal. The lightning bender sighed heavily to mask her yawn. Of course Azula noticed and leaned down just slightly, but enough so that Detia wouldn't have to stand on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek. Detia did just that, kiss her mother's cheek, before heading inside.

"You're daughter is very" he paused "unique." He finished.

Azula only nodded, her very nature telling her that his comment was a slight against her daughter. She fought that part of her nature, choosing instead to ignore the comment. "Would you care to play?" she changed the subject smoothly.

Iroh eyed his niece but her mask was well placed and he could see no negative intentions – not that she had any. It appeared to be an innocent enough request so he nodded. Azula took her daughter's seat, reclaimed all her tiles, and smirked deviously as she set one down.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Of Fire

Chapter 10

Detia sat cross-legged meditating beside her mother, concentrating on her breathing, on the fire that burned coldly within her. She was concentrating on the ebb and flow of her chi and the chi of every living thing around her within a twenty foot radius. The steady heartbeat of the Fire Nation Princess beat in time with her own. Both were in perfect harmony, at perfect peace with their surroundings. The voices of the many people in the palace on this day were distant and not bothering her like they usually did. All was good. For only one hour a day, Detia could enjoy this peace. A complete total peace she could only attained with Azula's calm, collected aura near her, and no one trying to call her. The five-year-old had gone through painstaking efforts to find the best, most secluded, out of the way, hard to find place just so that she would be left in peace with her mother for one hour. It had taken her days to find the place they were currently meditating in.

Azula didn't complain verbally as she was pulled through dense underbrush and tall grass to get to a clearing in the palace garden that she had never seen before. It was the fourth place her daughter had brought her to within the palace that she never even imagined was there. She was impressed really. The other three places her cousins had found her in and they had a bad habit of not leaving her alone, even if she needed it. The Fire Lord's two youngest children, twin girls roughly three years old, seemed to have a better understanding of what Detia needed when it came to meditating – having seen firsthand the side effects of when she didn't. That tree by the pond will never be seen ever again, whatever was left of its ashes have long since blown away. So, when Lu Ten's voice echoed into the sky and across the trees, scaring the birds into silence and shattering the peaceful aura like glass, Azula chuckled as Detia groaned. The princess creaked an eye open only slightly when she felt Detia stand. 'You could make him wait,' Azula suggested.

'And risk the chance of him finding my place? I don't think so. Besides, I warned him,' Detia answered, causing her mother to chuckle again.

"Are you going to challenge him to an Agni Kai?" Azula inquired as she stood, following her little monster, speaking only half in jest. "If I recall correctly, that's what you said you would do if he didn't show you proper respect as his cousin and fellow royal."

Detia nodded. 'It depends on the reason he called me. And if his sisters can calm me down before I do something rash.'

The Princess of the Fire Nation laughed, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Then let's go see what that brat wants."

Detia smiled and nodded, leading her mother out of her secret place and in the direction where her Mommy, aunt, uncle, cousins, and all of their guests were congregating. Azula walked into their sight first, counting the number of people. The seven children around Lu Ten she didn't recognize. Nor did she recognize the two babies that sat with their respective parents. The adults she recognized as her brother's friends from the war. The Avatar and his peasant, Sokka (whose name she knew only because Zuko saw fit to always put them together when there was trouble with something or another and he was too busy to do it himself) and his wife (whose name she didn't bother to remember even though she was near best friends with her wife), Zuko and Mai, Iroh, the blind earth bender, and finally Ty Lee all sat in that order in chairs in a semi-circle talking and watching their children. Katara and her brother were each holding a sleeping child. Azula looked at her daughter and thought, 'There are twenty people here.' She didn't bother to add Ty Lee because Detia informed her that her Mommy's mind, like Azula's, was never a factor because she was so used to them. 'Don't make a repeat of yesterday.'

Detia nodded and took Azula's hand as they approached the others; she really hated meeting new people and still wasn't too fond of the Avatar. Ty Lee smiled and waved before anyone else noticed them, except maybe Toph but she didn't act as if she did. "Azula, Detia, glad you could join us," Iroh said happily when he saw them as he stood from his seated position, the only one who did.

"Uncle," Azula addressed curtly.

Detia looked up at her mother, carefully sifting through Azula's conflicted thoughts and feelings. The princess was unsure how she should feel about an uncle who, for all intense and purposes, chose her brother and left her with the tyrant that was her father. It seemed to be a recurring thing with her mother. Everyone seemed to choose her uncle Zuko over Azula and leave the princess all alone; even her Mommy had left once. Though, she did come back. And then they had the gall to wonder why she turned out the way she did. The little monster sighed to stop thinking about it. It was disappointing and often made the little girl wonder how everyone can be so blind. She watched as they entered the semi-circle.

Iroh, who was still smiling, nodded to his niece and knelt down to Detia's eye level. He didn't touch her like he had the first time they had really met, the literal first time being the day of her baptism. Having learned his lesson from the low-key electric shock he received, barely more than a static charge but enough to get the point across. The only people allowed to touch her were her parents (though Azula rarely did) and her Uncle Zuko (Only because she was used to him – but he didn't do it very often either).

"Detia," Iroh said, so very tempted to place his hand on her head but he didn't; he knew restraint, "have you met all of your Uncle's guests?"

The child's golden eyes scanned the people sitting around her. She had seen all of them at one point or another and had met most of them as well. Right off the bat, she recognized Lady Suki, who had been passed her wide awake youngest son, and her husband Sokka. They were friends with her Mommy, and Detia had met them several times over the course of five years. Though she never stayed around long enough to really get to know them, seeing as it took too much effort to block the bad thoughts Lady Suki had about Azula. It appeared that Suki wasn't a big fan of Detia's mother, seeing as Azula had defeated her so easily during the war. Lady Suki and Katara only saw the cold, calculating, cruel person Azula was during the war. And while Azula still was that cold, calculating, cruel woman, there was so much more to her than that. Either they just refused to see it or Azula hid it well.

The Avatar she recognized as well, even though this was the first time she had seen him since their first meeting four years ago. His wife, Katara, who was sitting beside him holding their sleeping son, she remembered as well. The water bender was often the first person her Uncle and Aunt called when one of their children fell ill. But the thing she remembered most about Katara was the fact that she and Azula disliked each other intensely. And of course, she knew her Mommy and Aunt and Uncle. The only one she didn't readily recognize was the blind earth bender sitting lazily beside Ty Lee, slouched comfortably in the chair, her bare feet firmly on the ground with her long black bangs covering the majority of her face.

Detia studied the woman sitting there staring at her blindly, something she rarely ever did – studying people that is. Disregarding the sleeveless green shirt and pants, the large stone belt she wore around her waist, and the yellow loin cloth that hung from the belt, these were just clothes after all, and meant little to Detia's assessment of this person. For some reason, the woman looked and felt familiar to her. Not like the Avatar did, there were no negative emotions attached to this feeling. The color surrounding her was a deep, solid jade green, with no fluctuating colors, just plain, solid green. Detia had never seen such a solid color on another person before, only on herself. The little monster blinked once to switch her search to the Earth Bender's mind, which was surprisingly hard to get into. But once she did, Detia saw what the other woman saw, a 3D version of her surroundings. Every little thing was visible. But the only thing the Earth Bender was thinking about was how familiar Detia looked to her. "Detia, are you okay?" Ty Lee asked when her daughter continued to stare at Toph.

'She can see using Earth Bending. That is so awesome.' Azula smirked as her little monster smiled excitedly, a smile she only showed when something truly amazed her. Azula had only seen the smile twice before, once when Azula showed her how to lightning bend and the other the first time she got interact with her cousins and found that both Ezra and Ursa could hear her.

"That would be Toph Bei Fong," Azula introduced. "Toph, this is my daughter. I don't think you've meet."

"Nope," Toph confirmed as she sat up in her seat.

Detia let go of her mother's hand and walked towards the Earth Bender, unprompted, an action that had her family sitting in silence, watching. It was common knowledge that Detia did not like to meet new people and would avoid it at all cost. So for her to actually go up to someone she had never even seen before was unheard of. 'Detia.' the little girl replied, bowing slightly.

"Her name is Detia," Ty Lee offered.

"I know; I heard her," Toph remarked with a smirk.

"You…you heard her?" Zuko repeated.

Toph lifted a black eyebrow, confused as to why everyone was looking so shocked. "She said it pretty clearly."

"Toph. She's mute." Mai intoned.

"Mute! No way. But I heard her clear as day," Toph argued.

"Detia!" the unified voice of two three-year-old girls, one with noticeably less emotion than the other, called out.

Detia turned just in time to prevent herself from being tackled to the ground by her cousins, who both latched onto her waist. "We tried to tell him to leave you alone," the one with the brighter red silk clothes replied childishly.

"We really did, but he wouldn't listen," The other replied, her tone shy and near emotionless – a dark contrast to her sisters.

'Ursa,' Detia said, placing a hand on the girl wearing the brighter colored clothing's pitch black shoulder length hair. 'Ezra.' She placed a hand on the darker child's hair, the same exact shade as her sister's but done up in pigtails whereas Ursa's was the traditional top knot with half her dark hair resting against her neck. 'What does he want?' Detia questioned, attempting to move towards the crowd of children, a difficult task with the two clinging to her.

"It's a box!" Ursa exclaimed.

"A puzzle box," Ezra elaborated.

Detia nodded, taking both of her cousins' hands – when dragging them became to tiring – and walked over to where the other kids were gathered.

"It's selective," Azula answered, after her daughter moved to the other children. She moved to a newly placed empty seat beside her wife and watched as Lu Ten introduced her little monster to his friends and the large metal puzzle box that came up to her waist in height and was twice as wide. "I can hear her, Ty Lee can too, and I'm pretty sure her younger cousins can as well."

Toph nodded as she looked at the white haired girl moving away – not that she could see the color of the child's shoulder length hair. "Regardless," Zuko said, with a smile directed towards his sister, "we're glad you and Detia could join us. I don't think she's met any of the other kids. You have her working so much."

Azula sighed, "Don't even start, Zuko. Remember what happened the last time you tried to tell me how to raise my daughter?"

"Is that the time she broke her leg?" Sokka asked bluntly, earning him a slap in the arm from his wife. "What? I just wanted to make sure."

Azula only lifted eyebrow, slightly wondering why she was wondering how he knew that. "Yes." Ty Lee answered, assuming that Katara had told her brother and everyone else about the incident.

Sokka nodded and turned to Zuko, "You messed up, man."

Zuko sighed but before he could reply Toph interject, "Okay, wait. What? What did you do that caused her to break her leg?"

Zuko sighed, rubbing his neck. He really didn't want to get into this, but it looked like there was no way out of it. "You mean you don't know." Azula inquired. "I figured the water peasant would have told everyone."

"Azula." Ty Lee chided lightly as Katara yelled an indignant "Hey."

Toph smirked at the reaction, knowing that the only reason Katara didn't attack Azula right then and there was because of the infant in her arms. "I just got back in touch with everyone." Toph explained.

Azula nodded. "Long story short, I was training Detia in the art of Firebending when she was one and Zuko ordered me to stop. Detia, being my daughter, decided to start training herself, thus resulting in her breaking her leg, which she reset herself."

Toph only nodded, silently impressed that Detia started training at such a young age. But she didn't question it after all she was very young when she started training herself in Earth bending. But that didn't stop her from turning toward Zuko, just so he knew she was addressing him. "What gives you the right to boss her around like that?" Toph asked and all sets of eyes were on her. "I mean, come on. She may be a complete bitch, and don't deny it. It's true," she said pointing a finger at Azula who was about to protest. "You are one crazy bitch. But, regardless, that's her kid, not yours. I'm sure she knew what she was doing."

"Thank you, Toph," Ty Lee thanked.

"No problem, Bubbles."

Azula looked at the acrobat when the nick-name was said and Ty Lee shrugged, not minding it in the least. The princess let it go. If Ty Lee didn't mind, then neither did she. "You're just going to let her call you a crazy bitch?" Sokka questioned Azula.

Azula's golden eyes turned to Sokka, who, despite everything, she kind of respected. He was a good strategist if nothing else. Still nothing compared to her, but who was comparing. "Why would I mind? It is the truth." She leaned back slightly in her chair. "Besides, I find it to be kind of a compliment."

Sokka laughed loudly, though he quickly silenced when his boy started to stir because of the noise. He would easily admit that Azula was a crazy bitch, that hadn't changed all that much after her 'recovery'. But she was good to argue with, strategy wise. "Despite the fact that she hasn't changed much, I still agree with Toph, Zuko," the water tribe warrior said in a moment of seriousness.

Zuko sighed heavily. He recognized a losing battle when he saw one. That didn't stop him from defending himself, "But she hated Detia. I didn't know if that had changed."

"It had changed," Ty Lee argued before anyone could comment on his defense. "It changed from 'I hate the very sight of you' to 'I'll accept you as my daughter but only because you're so exceptional', at least at that point in time."

"Wait, you knew?" Azula asked as her golden eyes locked with smoky grey. Obviously her wife was more perceptive than she gave her credit for.

"Of course I knew," the acrobat admitted lightly, never breaking the gaze. "I always know. I even know when that changed and you began to love her."

"Speaking of change," Mai stated, completely changing the subject. "How did Detia's first day of school go yesterday? Are you enrolling her?"

"Well," Ty Lee sighed, tearing her gaze from the princess' reluctantly. "It went worse than we hoped but better than we expected."

"Meaning?" Zuko inquired.

"Meaning, we had hoped she would be okay being around so many new people but expected her only to last maybe ten minutes. She stayed in the classroom for two hour before she collapsed. So needless to say, she won't be enrolled this year."

"That's too bad. Lu Ten was looking forward to going to school with her," Zuko replied.

Ty Lee lifted an eyebrow. "You do know that we were enrolling her into the Fire Nation Academy for Girls, right?"

Mai shrugged. "We tried to convince him, but he seemed dead set on her going to school with him."

"He said that because her fire bending was so good, she would probably get promoted to his class. Then they could practice together," Iroh informed with a chuckle.

Azula chuckled, thinking that her little monster would surpass all of the little boys in Lu Ten's class and move right up to advanced courses. Her daughter's golden eyes caught hers as Detia silently agreed. "Of course it didn't help that whenever anyone touched her she would shock them. Not on purpose of course but still it didn't help." Ty Lee intoned with a deep sigh.

"Shocked?" Mai questioned, thinking back to the few times she had touched Detia. She had never been shocked and none of her children ever complained about it.

Katara jumped in, "I know what that feels like. It's low-key, like getting shocked by static electricity, but it was still unpleasant."

Iroh laughed, "She's shocked me like that, too. It is unpleasant but it doesn't hurt."

"That's true. It didn't hurt," Katara admitted.

"So, let me get this straight," Toph sat up in her seat as she spoke, "Your kid is as stubborn as, well, you, does not like to be touched, can create low-key electrical charges, started her fire bending training and had the insight to set her own broken leg at the tender age of one."

Ty Lee agreed with a nod. "Well," Azula correct, "Detia doesn't actually bend Fire, never has."

"What does she bend?" Aang asked, amusing Azula at the thought that of all the things her brother's friends didn't know this was it.

"Lightning." Azula answered.

Everyone was silent for a good five minutes. "I guess that explains how she knew to reset her leg." The Blind Earth Bender remarked offhandedly as she leaned back in her seat.

"What?" It was Katara who spoke the words everyone was thinking.

"Well, there is one person who knows more about that than me." She tilted her head towards the white-haired child who was sitting on her knees in front of the large puzzle box, examining it.

Aside from Ezra, who wasn't much of a people person and wasn't too active, all of the other children had decided to play while she worked on the. Toph vaguely heard Lu Ten tell everyone that if Detia couldn't open it, then no one could, and they should just leave her to it. Still, the earth bender thought it was mean to leave her there by herself, but she didn't know Detia and maybe the girl preferred things that way. So, she didn't say anything. The others followed Toph's direction and Ty Lee sighed. "So much for making friends," the acrobat said under her breath. The only ones able to hear her were Toph and Azula.

"She was really young when it happened, Toph." Mai interjected, her golden eyes never leaving her youngest daughter, who was watching with mock interest as Detia pushed on the box. "She probably doesn't remember."

"Where did all the kids go?" Sokka asked.

"Left to play," Toph answered. "Your kid sure seems attached, Zuko. She's the only one who stayed."

Surprisingly, it was Suki who replied, "She should. According to Mai, Detia saved Ezra's life when she was a baby."

"Isn't she like two or something?" Toph inquired.

"She's three." Mai answered simply. "And yes, Detia did save Ezra's life. Though, none of us can tell you how."

Everyone nodded except Azula, who figured Detia saved her cousin's life the same way the little monster saved hers, and Ty Lee, who believed the same thing as Azula. "That's some story," Sokka agreed. "If Katara wasn't the one who told me, I wouldn't have believed it."

Toph huffed. "Jeez, I didn't realize I'd miss out on so much action. I didn't even know Azula had a kid and she's amazing." She paused, "So, first things first, tell me how…" she turned to Azula and Ty Lee "What's your kid's name?"

"Detia," Ty Lee answered, smiling at her daughter when the little girl turned at the sound of her name then went back to the box when she realized she wasn't being called.

"Right, the kid," Toph announced, "Tell me how she saved that little one's life."

Mai sighed, this was not a memory she liked to dredge up. "Ezra was unexpected, the weaker of the two twins."

"Our doctor gave her a week," Zuko continued, placing his hand on his wife's in comfort. "So naturally, we called Katara for a second opinion."

"And Katara used her crazy water bending skills to heal her. How does that have anything to do with Detia?" Toph inquired impatiently.

Katara sighed this time and shook her head, "No, I didn't. I didn't get to her in time. Her heart had already stopped by the time I arrived. She died, and I can't bring people back to life."

"So what happened?" the Earth Bender asked, when everyone seemed to refused to talk.

"Lu Ten wanted to see his sister, Ursa," Azula continued, seeing as she knew better than anyone aside from Detia and possibly Ty Lee the events that lead to Detia being in that room. And she loved to tell stories of her daughter's greatness. "At the time, he was convinced that he only had one sister, and since Mai and Zuko wouldn't allow him to see them, for the safety of the children of course, he went to Detia, who has a talent for finding secret passageways and hidden places. She didn't need much convincing, considering she wanted to meet her new cousins as well. So, they took to the servant's hallway and made their way to the twin's room."

"They went to Ursa first," Ty Lee interrupted, "because she was the one making noises. After that, Lu Ten kind of took control of his sister. Detia said she felt something was odd about the room and started to wander around. She found Ezra all wrapped up, silent, and not breathing in the other crib. We asked her why she felt the need to unwrap the baby and take her outside, but she only said that it seemed like the right thing to do."

"When we noticed that Lu Ten was in the room," Katara said, "we immediately came in. After Mai took Ursa from him and set her back in the crib, we heard another sound, like a baby laughing. We couldn't figure out what it was because Detia can't speak, Ezra was gone, and Ursa and Lu Ten were there being quite. So, Mai and Ty Lee followed the sound and found Detia sitting on the balcony with Ezra in her arms, wide awake and cooing."

"And you guys don't know how she did it?" Katara, Mai, and Zuko shook their heads no. "I didn't see a 'no' from you two." Toph noted and pointed to Azula and Ty Lee. "Do you know?" All eyes were on the couple. Azula pretended not to notice, Ty Lee didn't fare so well but still remained silent for a second. "That's okay," Toph interjected before Ty Lee broke down. "I'll just ask the source." She turned towards the two children sitting in front of the box. "Hey, Detia!" Detia looked at the Earth bender but remained on the ground. "Come over here, I have a few questions for you." Toph motioned with her hands for the five year old to come to her.

With a lifted eyebrow and a confused expression, the white-haired child stood, Ezra followed her lead but walked to her mother when Detia moved towards Toph. 'What?' Detia asked when she stood in front of the bender, her golden eyes peering into hazy, pale green.

"Alright," Toph said with a smirk. "I've been told that you broke your leg when you were one and reset it yourself. How did you know how to do that? And stick to the truth, I'll be able to tell if you're lying" Toph informed

'Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar,' the five-year-old admitted. 'I am a 400-foot-tall, purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings,' she said just to prove her point as her pulse remained steady.

Rather than be impressed by the girl's ability, a surprised expression crossed Toph's face before she and Azula burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Sokka asked with a smile. "What did she say?"

"She said that she was a 400-foot-tall, purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings," Ty Lee said just as confused as everyone else.

"Isn't that what Azula said to you during the Day of Black Sun?" Aang asked after a couple of minutes of thinking about it.

Toph, who was still chuckling – holding her sides, replied. "Word for word. That was good kid," she praised then made the mistake of patting Detia's shoulder. "Ow!" Toph exclaimed – causing Azula to stop laughing and everyone to look at her as a small white line of electricity connected her hand to Detia's shoulder – pulling her hand back quickly, shaking it to stop it from hurting. "Damn, I thought you said it didn't hurt."

"It didn't." Katara and Iroh chorused.

"Like hell it doesn't. My whole hand is numb." Toph groaned, still shaking her hand to get the feeling back in it. "Shit."

Before Detia could apologize, Azula interjected, "Don't apologize. She knew better."

"You're mom's right. I'm sorry for touching you unexpectedly," Toph apologized. "I'm guessing it's an automatic thing?"

'Yes.' Detia answered simply.

"Do you know why?"

'It's a long, tiresome theory that I'd rather not get into. And it is only a theory,' Detia informed.

Toph nodded in understanding, the feeling finally returning to her hand, though she still rubbed it. "Can you tell me at least why it hurt me more than them?"

'I was younger with them. I didn't have the abilities I have now,' The girl answered.

"That makes sense." Toph conceded, "Well, now that all the fun is over back to the question."

'Mommy gave me a book on human anatomy.' Detia answered. 'It wasn't a far stretch of the imagination to figure out that my bone wasn't supposed to be extended through my skin. I saw where it was supposed to go and how it fit in so I just shoved it back.' Detia shrugged.

"What did she say?" Sokka asked again.

Detia looked at him and frowned. 'I said that I saw the way it fit together in my leg and shoved it back to that position,' her voice rang lightly in the minds of everyone there, excluding the Avatar, because she still didn't like him.

"Please, tell me I'm not the only one who heard that voice," Sokka questioned.

"Y…you're not," Katara answered. "Detia was that you?"

The girl nodded. "Since when have you been able to talk to everyone like this?" Zuko inquired.

"I would like to know that, too," Ty Lee almost demanded.

Detia blushed slightly, kicking the ground in embarrassment. 'It was going to be a surprise. I learned it just the other day.'

"Didn't setting your leg hurt?" Toph interrupted, bringing the conversation back on track, her words stopping Ty Lee from jumping up, grabbing her daughter, throwing her in the air, and hugging her tightly.

Detia looked back at the Earth bender and answered, 'Irrelevant.'

"Irrelevant!" Katara exclaimed, causing the child in her arms to cry out in surprise but go right back to sleep when she started to rock gently. "How can you say it's irrelevant?"

The little girl sighed and rolled her eyes as she turned to Katara, 'Yes, it hurt. But it was either sit there and bleed to death while everyone looked for me or put it back in place and start the healing process.'

"Alright, I can understand that," Katara conceded. "But why didn't you let me heal you?"

For a second Detia hesitated in answering before crossing her arms and informing, 'Your water bending was interfering with my bending, slowing down my healing process. And it hurt.'

"What?" Suki questioned before Katara could say anything.

"So you're saying you're a better healer than a water bender?" Toph stated more than questioned and Detia thought only a second before nodding. "Prove it."

'I brought Ezra back to life, didn't I?'

Toph placed a hand on her chin. "Good point. How did you do that?"

Detia shrugged. 'She has a weak heart, and it had stopped. So, I sent a current of lightning to it, shocking it back into action and bringing her back to life. It wasn't hard.'

"I see. So Azula, would you be able to do the same thing as Detia and bring Ezra back to life?" Toph inquired.

The Fire Nation Princess thought for a moment before answering, "More than likely."

"Then what she did wasn't an amazing feat of healing, just a slight use of lightning," Toph concluded smugly, causing Detia to frown angrily.

'Fine!' she said. Not one to lose a battle, she propped her leg up on her mommy's chair, took off the boot covering her right leg, and rolled up her pants' leg to reveal flawless skin. 'See, there's no scar.'

Toph shook her head and crossed her arms, "Sorry, can't see a thing," she said then waved her hand over her eyes for emphasis.

"Oh my," Katara whispered as she leaned over to get a good look at the once injury.

Detia ignored her and grabbed Toph's hand and put it over her leg where the wound had been, surprising her parents and aunt and uncle by her brash action and willingness to not only allow someone to touch her but to initiate it. "I don't feel anything," Toph announced, after getting over her surprise, and ran her hand up the girl's leg to her knee then down along her tibia. "Are you sure this is the right leg?" she teased, knowing full well it was just by its position.

'You know it is,' Detia replied with a half-smile as Toph's hand stopped half way down her tibia.

"This is where it broke." She said more to herself than anyone else. "I can feel the bump the bone made to mend the crack. But there's no evidence it broke skin." She pulled her hand away. "Wow, guess you are a better healer. What's your secret?"

'Lightning' Detia answered as she pulled her boot back on after unrolling her pants' leg.

"So, what does that mean? That you're the first lightning bender?" Suki inquired.

"No," the Avatar corrected, looking at the ground as he spoke. "She is the last."

Detia stiffened visibly as Aang spoke, but did not turn to face him. "I suppose that means you learned more about why she hates you?" Azula contended and he nodded. "Took you long enough."

"I know," Aang agreed before Zuko could chide his sister. "It took a lot to get to my second life."

Ty Lee's eyebrow lifted "Second?"

The Avatar nodded. "Yeah, apparently my first life…wasn't a good person and he was sealed away. So, I had to go to my second life."

"What did you learn?" Zuko inquired.

Aang sighed heavily, "My second life was awakened during the War of the Gods. He said that after the disappearance of the Balance, the gods started to argue amongst themselves, ending in a war so devastating it changed the very face of the world. My first life, who was capable of bending all four elements, let the battle rage on, sitting back and doing nothing. The war started because of him."

"What did he do?" Ty Lee inquired and again Aang sighed.

"Once, a very, very long time ago, there was a floating island known as Hishou Raikou and on this floating island lived the people of lightning. They were a rich people, both financially and culturally. But, they were peaceful and diplomatic and there was only a little more than eight thousand in their population. Their ruler was the Goddess of Lightning. The people around the time of my second life did not speak her name or mention her at all unless they were one of the few survivors."

"Survivors?" Zuko repeated.

"There was a society," Aang hesitated, "which my first life lead. There were many people from different nations in this society and their mission in life was to create a world without the gods, because back then the Gods ruled over their respective nations. My second life didn't tell me their name."

"Iuguolo Superum," Toph answered, surprising everyone.

The severe expression on her face, one that she rarely showed, stopped them from asking how she knew. 'Roughly translated to: Killer of the Gods.' Detia finished. 'Their leader mounted an army of great numbers and attacked Hishou Raikou.'

Aang nodded, still unable to look at the child who had turned an accusing tone toward him. "He slaughtered everyone, women, children, the elderly, no one was spared. I can still see the image of him standing on the bodies of the people he had killed and laughing in triumph. He even managed to strike down the Goddess."

"If they were such a powerful people, why didn't they fight back?"

"They did," Aang defended. "They fought hard, but they weren't violent people. My first life knew this and exploited it."

"That's not true," Toph interrupted. "The People of Lightning would have won that battle had the enemy not destroyed the generators that kept the island floating. And the goddess didn't die," was her surprisingly knowledgeable comment.

"She had a spear shot through her body!" Aang yelled. "And how would you even know?"

"First, she's a goddess Aang. Having a spear shoved through her body only made her angry. And trust me, that is one goddess you do not want to make angry. She killed like sixty men in one shot. Second, it was carved in the stone of some ruins I found in the Earth Kingdom. The same place I found that puzzle box. Aside from the box and the carvings, there wasn't much else."

'You're lying.' Detia stated as she looked over her shoulder to the earth bender with a lifted eyebrow. 'Not about the first part but the second,' Toph crossed her arms over her chest and was about to refute the accusation when Detia said. 'Only you heard me.'

'They don't need to know how I know these things,' Toph thought, knowing that Detia could hear her. 'And there are carvings on the wall in the room where I found that box. And they are lightning bender carvings. But I can't read, so I have no idea what they say.'

Detia nodded very slightly and restrained herself from chuckling. "Oh," Aang said. "That may be true, but it doesn't change the fact that my past life was responsible for the genocide of a great people, the lightning benders."

"You said something about survivors? How many?" Suki asked.

Aang shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a few."

"There were twenty," Toph answered. "Twenty people survived the attack. Two were children. And most fled to the Fire Nation. At least, that's what the carvings said."

"Hm. Why would such a great people come here?" Iroh asked.

Toph shrugged, she really didn't know that answer. Then all eyes turned to Detia. 'I don't know either.'

"There was probably some logical reason, though," Azula defended. "Agni probably offered them protection."

"Probably." Aang agreed.

"Hey, Detia!" Lu Ten's voice called over to his cousin from the puzzle box, the other children with him. "I thought you'd have the box opened by now," he smirked slightly and continued. "I guess you're not as good as I thought you were." Detia closed her eyes as she ground her teeth together and balled her hands into fist. "Seriously, you should have had it opened by now. It is my birthday you know. You should do what I say."

"Lu," The oldest of the children chided lightly – Sokka's daughter – hitting his arm, "that's uncalled for."

But the damage was already done and before he knew what was going on a stream of white hot lightning raced towards him, promising a painful death. His scream echoed out across the garden as he fell on his bottom, electricity racing along the metal surface of the box Detia hit like small dragons, all racing towards the slightly concaved center of each side. 'I'm your cousin Lu Ten, not your servant. You can't say things like that me.'

"You almost hit me!" he exclaimed as he stood from his position.

"No offense kid," Toph interjected, "but you would have deserved it."

Detia nodded in agreement, crossing her arms. Lu Ten was quiet with a stubborn expression on his young face. "Yeah, well," he said kicking the dirt as his feet. "Sorry Detia, I didn't mean it."

"You're just saying that 'cause you don't want her to challenge you to an Agni Kai," Ursa pointed out, giggling happily.

"Well, duh," Lu Ten answered honestly. "She'd beat me in like three seconds."

Detia smiled smugly at the last comment her cousin spoke. Just as she was about to agree, a bright light filled the air, originating from the box, and forced everyone to close their eyes and move away from it. Most of the younger children fled to their parents. When the light cleared, everyone uncovered their eyes and looked in the direction where the light had come from. They saw in place of the box was a large white egg, nearly as big as the box it was in, with yellow lightning strips racing along it. "What is that?" one of the children who had ran to the Avatar asked.

Once the question was uttered, another weaker flash of light appeared but shot upward towards the sky for only a second before solidify into the form of a transparent woman. The woman's cold golden eyes stared blankly at the people surrounding the box, not seeing them. Her long, stark white hair hung free till it bunched into a thick metal band at the middle of her back, matching perfectly to her pure white tunic. The pants that matched the tunic flared out at her ankles, showing an inch or two of her flawlessly snow white skin, her feet covered with simple white cloth shoes. A yellow loin cloth hung freely to her knees, held in place with a light blue obi. A long piece of transparent blue cloth wrapped once around her breast and torso, most of it flowing behind her like wings, glistening in the sun as if something shiny was sewn into the lining. A golden crown circled her forehead, three lightning bolts extending from the front, one going down towards her nose the other two reaching to the heavens on either side of the one.

Thin metal bands wrapped the lower part of her upper arm, just above her elbow with two smaller ones around her ankles. Strips of metal covered the fabric along her shoulders and the tops of her shoes. The sleeves of her shirt, which flared at the ends like her pants and ended half way up her forearm, also had strips of metal along the cuffs. But, those seemed to be more for decoration than anything else. Finally, the cold golden eyes seemed to lock onto Detia as the fabric wrapped around her torso, only staying on her shoulders due to the metal bands that seemed to be attached to the metal on her shoulders, flapped wildly behind her, like a cat's tail. "I am Linka," the image announced; her tone stern and cold but still her voice was beautiful and mysterious. "Crown princess of the Hishou Raikou and the People of Lightning."

TBC

A/N: Haha! Just so everyone knows I'm introducing the Gaang's kids. They are as follows: Aang and Katara have: Tenzen (6-Boy), Kya (4-Girl), Hanna (4-Girl), Gyatso (3-boy), and Kuai (1- boy – the baby Katara was holding).Sokka and Suki have four children: Koyumi (9-Girl – the oldest of all the children), Atreyu (7-Boy), Yue (5-girl – who I will introduce later in the story), and Dakota (2-Boy – the child Suki was holding). Zuko and Mai have three (I've introduced all of them but just for the hell of it here we go: Lu Ten (Who turned 7 in this story – Boy), Erza (3-Girl), and Ursa (3-girl). And of course there's Detia, who's 5 now. So, there you have it, that's everybody. Oh, by the way all of the characters are in their 20s – Zuko (who is 16 at the end of the series) is 27 now. You can figure out everyone else's ages from that if you really want to know.


	11. Chapter 11

Of Fire

Chapter 11

Detia watched in silent awe, the same as almost everyone else with the exception of Toph, at the nearly transparent figure before her that came from the metal box. Slowly Detia walked towards the figure, whose small, pale golden eyes followed her every step. 'I am Detia,' the little girl thought, feeling stupid because it wasn't a real person. 'Uh, princess of the Fire Nation.'

The figure lifted a white eyebrow, though its features remained cold. "You are a lightning bender, correct?" Linka inquired. Detia nodded, though she only assumed she was a lightning bender. There was still a chance that she could just be a really good fire bender. "Good," she said. "The egg you see behind me is the egg of a Thunderbird; do you know what that is?"

The little girl turned to look at the blank faces of the adults in her presence. 'No,' she answered honestly.

The figure sighed. "The Thunderbird is a magnificent bird, the emblem of the Kingdom of Lightning, much like the Dragon is for the Kingdom of Fire." The explanation did not stop even though a few of the adults wondered about Linka's name of the Fire Nation. "But unlike the Dragon, Thunderbirds are extremely rare, only having one offspring every one-hundred years. Their nest was located in the top of the tallest building of my city. When it fell, so did the Thunderbirds. The one here is the only remaining egg on the planet."

Detia looked at the white and yellow egg the lightning princess was talking about. 'When will it hatch?' Detia asked, afraid that because it had been hidden for so long that the chick inside was long dead.

"The Thunderbird will not hatch until the egg is completely yellow."

"How do you do that?" Lu Ten asked.

Linka ignored him and did not answer his question, which made the other children chuckle. 'How do we do that?' Detia repeated, through her chuckles.

"An egg belonging to the Thunderbird needs a massive amount of electrical energy in order to hatch. The only people who've been able to supply this large amount at one time were my mother, the Goddess of Lightning, whose name is currently not spoken," her golden eyes rolled at the last six words, which were said in a dull monotone voice. "and a Heavenly Maiden."

"A Heavenly Maiden?" Aang inquired.

Linka's pale golden eyes turned to the Avatar. So full of hate and malice was the glare she leveled at Aang that it took every ounce of strength in him to stay seated. "What's a Heavenly Maiden?" Toph asked in a bored tone that told everyone she only asked because of the way Aang was reacting and not because she wanted to know.

The figure turned to Toph and examined her for a minute before replying, "Don't you already know, Terren?"

"It's Toph," the Earth Bender corrected, leaning back in her seat with her hands behind her head and one leg propped up on the other.

"Of course, my apologies I confused you with another," Linka replied with a slight bow of her head then turned back to Detia as if the child had asked the question. "A Heavenly Maiden is a female member of Hishou Raikou with extremely honed abilities, like myself. At their highest level, lightning benders have the potential to control the electromagnetic pull of the planet and can negate it, making it appear as if we were flying. We line our clothing with metal in order to potentially use it as a weapon and to inform the populace of our Heavenly Maiden Status. That is a Heavenly Maiden."

"Why only Female?" Ty Lee asked, half expecting the transparent figure not to answer.

Linka looked at Ty Lee, judging her worth. "The female body is far more capable of change than the male body. And since change is ultimately created by electricity, logic would conclude that women are more powerful with lightning bending than men."

"Wait, wait!" Sokka exclaimed. "How come everyone's just sitting here like a transparent woman that comes from a metal box is the most natural thing in the world?"

All the adults looked at each other with a shrug. "We've seen weirder," Katara answered. "Besides, it has to be some kind of magic."

"Wrong," Toph interrupted.

"You are correct, Toph. The image you see before you is an interactive recording of myself," Linka answered. "The very last form of technology developed by my people; the only form of technology that survived the fall, it is called a hologram. As Heir and rightful ruler, it falls upon my shoulders to preserve what little is left of my people, the egg being the greatest of those items. There is no magic involved."

"Told you," the Earth bender taunted. "So, Linka right…?"

"That is correct."

Toph nodded. "Before we get on to how to hatch the egg, tell me what you know about the Avatar?" Toph's eyebrow lifted with her smirk. "You said you preserved your culture so surely you should know."

"What relevance is it to you?" the hologram asked, taking a seated position, though it appeared as though she were sitting on nothing.

Toph sighed. "If you haven't noticed Aang is the Avatar, and apparently, Detia is a lightning bender. So, apparently – because I haven't seen it – she doesn't like him."

"With good reason," Linka approved.

"Yeah. He said something about his first life being an Ass and destroying the people of lightning or something…"

"That's true. He is responsible for our destruction," Linka supplied.

Toph nodded. "And I get that she hates him for it. I would too. But from hanging around him, being the Avatar isn't that bad. So why would it be considered a punishment?"

Linka tilted her head slightly as her pale gold eyes examined the blind Earth bender. "Essentially, the Avatar is a joke," she started making Detia and Azula smile while Aang flinched. "Nothing more than an ordinary human being blessed with the power endowed to him or her by the spirits of this planet. Despite what everyone thought, my mother did more than keep the other gods in line. She balanced the spirit world and human world as well. She had the uncanny ability to solve any dispute, regardless of what realm one resided in. With her gone, that balance and peace vanished. The gods rampaged through the Earth and all its realms, destroying so much, and no one could seem to stop them.

"The spirits developed a way to combine their power to rival that of a god but could not decide who would get it for fear of corruption of the soul. They decided on the one who caused the imbalance, because he could not get more corrupt. He accepted the power but used it to further ravish my people dropping our number from 169 to about 26. I killed him," she said without flinching, as if she was stating that the sky was blue. "And the power was given to another who was more responsible. He scheduled a meeting with the gods and told them what they should do to resolve their issues. They laughed at him, calling him a false god who did not deserve a say in their dealings. Thus the name 'Avatar' arose, a false god. For his disrespect they stripped him of half his power but were never heard from after that day." The hologram finished.

"So he did stop the War of the Gods," Aang exclaimed.

"Wrong again twinkle toes." Toph chuckled. "The Gods had already decided to call it quits before he called the meeting. Once they saw what the spirits were willing to do to stop the war, it was decided without a doubt and they vanished just like the balance did."

"With the absence of all of the gods, chaos ensued within each nation. Pillaging, assassination, murder, mindless brutal crimes all within their own borders." Linka added.

'When they ruled, the gods held an iron fist over the order of their nations,' Detia finished, allowing the Avatar and everyone else to hear her. 'But that was a long time ago,' she said with a wave of her hand. 'I want to hatch the egg, tell me how to do it. Now,' the little girl demanded, making her mommy sigh and her mother chuckle.

"She gets it from you," Ty Lee whispered, nudging her lover.

Azula only shrugged. "I know and I love her for it."

Linka and Toph laughed outright, "So demanding."

"Yeah, what if I had another question?" Toph asked, still smiling.

Detia shrugged. 'Do you?'

"Na," Toph answered.

"I do," Iroh interrupted with a warm smile. "If I may be so bold," the hologram looked at the old man before nodding for him to continue, "why did your people come to the fire nation?"

An elegant white eyebrow lifted. "My younger sister was the Fire Lady." She answered simply. "Don't you know your own heritage?" The quizzical expression on the old man's face made her explain why she asked. "I can tell that you are royal because of your eyes. Our eyes are the only physical aspect of the lightning benders that is dominant. The original color of the eyes for a member of the Kingdom of Fire is brown to red. Gold and Grey are usual colors of the people of lightning."

'It was a very long time ago. You can't expect anyone to know.' Detia remarked before anyone could respond to that. 'Now, the egg?'

Linka chuckled. "Of course, to hatch the egg you have to shoot it with a large blast of electricity, or you could wait for a large thunderstorm. Normally, the mother and father of the egg would supply the necessary amount. However, seeing as the egg is the last and you are the last, you have to do it."

'So I just shoot it?' Detia inquired.

The image nodded and Detia took the Firebending stance. Everyone was silent as Detia centered her chi, breathing in and out to calm herself. The pure white light of her attack blinded the group for only a minute until it dissipated. The egg glowed yellow and stopped. Detia grunted in disappointment at what she saw. The yellow lightning that streaked the egg's surface was larger than it was before but white still covered half the surface. "Nice try," Lu Ten said honestly, with no hint that he was mocking her – just as eager as the other children to see what the legendary Thunderbird really looked like. Like all of the children in the Fire Nation who participated in listening to any form of storytelling, he had only heard the fairytale of how the Dragon aided the Thunderbird in something (it changed depending on who told the story) and in return the Thunderbird granted only the best of Fire Benders the ability of lightning. He had never seen a dragon but a Thunderbird was rarer and therefore cooler. "Maybe if you try it again it'll hatch."

Detia sighed and returned to the same stance. "Stop." The hologram remarked. "You are bending like a Fire Bender. And while that blast was impressive, it was only a fraction of what you could have done."

'Then how do I do it?' Detia asked eagerly, noticing that her mother was paying close attention as well.

"A Fire bender produces most of their attacks from the energy within themselves." Linka informed. "A Lightning bender produces their attack from everything. There is nothing in creation that is without electricity. I'm assuming that you believe everyone sees the same as you do." Detia lifted an eyebrow and nodded, making Linka sigh. "That is incorrect. A lighting bender is potentially capable of seeing the basest elements that make up an object. In a ray of light a normal human can see the particles that float in the air. You are capable of seeing that regardless of the sun. To you, a blade of grass is so much more than a blade of grass. Every discoloration, every vein, even the water that flows through those veins, you can even see the oxygen as it is released. Is that right?" Detia nodded, shocking her parents and everyone there.

"You can!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

Detia shrugged. 'I thought everyone saw that way.' She turned back to the image when her mommy collapsed back in her chair in shock. 'How is that relevant?'

"You see this way because as a lightning bender you can take the electrons that produce these actions and use them. Photosynthesis for one plant alone is 100 terawatts. That's a lot of electricity in case you didn't know. You do have to train your eyes to see beyond the surface, but it is not hard. All you have to do is tell yourself that that is what you should be seeing, and the impulses in your body will do the rest. It is true however, that it is not necessary to do this. As you grow and become more powerful simply knowing that the power is there is all you will need. But seeing as you are a beginner it is something you need to learn."

Detia looked at Azula, as if asking permission. "Go ahead, try it."

The little girl closed her eyes and did exactly as the hologram told her. The instant she opened her eyes, she fell to the ground in surprise and started to grab at the things she saw. "Don't grab at them, it makes you appear less than sane." She did as she was told with more difficulty than she would have liked, her eyes locking rapidly on many things at once. After a minute of watching the things in front of her, Detia closed her eyes and opened them again – seeing as she usually saw. She only shrugged lightly when Linka looked at her with a quizzical expression. "All right. Now, to hatch the egg you will need to take a basic Earth bending stance, to secure yourself to the ground," she explained as she took the stance. "Your body is the center, where you can control and redirect electricity. Electricity flows like water through your body if for whatever reason you misstep and it gets trapped in your body if you are rooted to the ground you can disperse it there, with no negative effects to your person."

Detia mimicked the stance perfectly, planting her feet solidly on the ground, her knees bent at the perfect angle parallel to earth. Toph laughed. "She's better than you, twinkle toes."

Aang only sighed, though he didn't honestly care. He was more interested in the things he was learning about this ancient form of bending. "Good," Linka said, ignoring Toph and the Avatar. "Now concentrate on your surroundings. You know what you are looking for, take it from everything." Detia closed her eyes, controlling her breathing and concentrated on everything.

The sky darkened as thick black clouds rolled along the horizon. "Earth," Linka's voice echoed as the air stilled and Toph bolted from her seat, ran over and grabbed the smallest children – yelling at the other children to follow her, and ran back past the other adults to a good twenty feet away from Detia. The adults watched in confusion as this took place but quickly stood and followed Toph when the Earth began to rumble under their feet. Azula backed up to fifteen feet from her daughter, but was still keeping closer than anyone else. As if a massive force was bearing down on it, the solid ground dented in around the Lightning bender. The vegetation within the ten foot circle evaporating into nothing as bits of rock and clumps of Earth lifted into the air.

"Air," Linka continued.

The fluid transition from Earth form to Air was smooth and flawless, as if she had practiced this move thousands of times before. Bringing a gust of wind with it that was so powerful the chairs everyone was sitting in flew towards the girl. Azula only had time to yell her little monster's name in warning before the gust hit the circle, revealing a dome of energy that surrounded it. The dome didn't stop the metal chairs, but the instant they entered the dome, sparks flew and the chairs vanished, the same as the grass. Within the dome, the air was still, the only movement being her short white hair as it rose like the rocks.

"Water," the hologram listed next.

Again, the transition was flawless and fluid. The rolling sound of thunder grabbed the attention of those who watched in terror and awe. Large black clouds grew like waves upon them. Water poured in thin heavy sheets like needles over them, making them move to the covered walkway, though it only helped a little. The only one who stayed her ground was Azula, who watched in sheer amazement as the water hit the dome of energy, further solidifying it. The drops elongated to a point like icicles the further they reached into the dome. They sparkled like diamonds in the rays of the sun that still shone in the opposite part of the sky, as if drawn to the child doing all this damage, before vanishing like everything else.

"Fire," Linka finished.

Though the transitions before this one were fluid and flawless, seemingly done by one who had practiced for years, the transition to the Fire bending form was magnificent and awe inspiring. So perfect and unblemished that it appeared as though only a god could do it. Just as suddenly as the form was completed, the light within the dome vanished, leaving only pitch blackness. Before Azula could move towards the dome, a single line of light broke through, visible within. One foot of the Fire Nation Princess landed on the ground when she had to block her eyes as a blinding beam of light broke through the dome like a shell, filling the entire garden with light as it blew into the egg.

The egg glowed a bright yellow and dimmed, completely covered in yellow with no white visible. But it did not hatch. As quickly as they had come, the clouds and the rain and the wind disappeared, leaving only a light dusting of water on the earth and few broken branches. Though, that was the very last thing on Azula's mind as she rushed to her daughter. Detia lay in a small puddle of water in the crater she had created, face down. "Detia!" Azula yelled as she slid into the small wide crater, picking up her child and turning her over in her lap. "Come on you little monster, wake up," Azula demanded, shaking the girl slightly.

The girl's eyes opened slightly and she smiled. 'I'll never do that again.'

Azula chuckled lightly, pleased that her child was okay. "How do you feel?" the princess asked as Ty Lee made it to her wife's side, sitting in the puddle beside Azula.

"Hey baby," the acrobat cooed, brushing back Detia's bangs from her face. "That was just…wow."

Detia's smile widened. 'Thanks. I'm so tired.'

Almost as if on cue, the child's golden eyes rolled back and she collapsed in Azula's arms. "She'll be okay. She's just exhausted," Azula commented, predicting correctly her wife's reaction to their daughter suddenly collapsing.

Aside from Erza, who broke out of her mother's grasp and ran to Azula when her aunt carried her cousin towards the palace, everyone stayed their distance from the little girl. Azula didn't even bother with them as she and Ty Lee took Detia to her room, Ezra in tow despite her mother's wishes.

~x~

Detia woke to the annoying sound of morning birds chirping at her open window. The sun's morning rays filtered into her room, waking her. She sighed in annoyance as she turned and buried her head into her pillow, trying to go back to sleep. After ten minutes of laying there and not going to sleep, the little girl sighed again and sat up, finding that all of her muscles ached. "You awake?" the voice of her favorite three-year-old twin asked from beside her.

The lightning bender turned to the other side of her bed, unsurprised to see Ezra lying next to her. Detia nodded to the question as the little girl sat up, her hair unbound and flowing just below her shoulders – longer and thicker than Detia's own. 'How long was I asleep?' Detia asked.

Ezra shrugged, as of yet unable to understand time. "A long time," she answered.

'What happened to your face?' Detia asked worriedly when she noticed the scratch along her cousin's cheek.

The little girl blushed and looked away. "Nothing," she said, but her mind flashed back to what had to be the day before.

'Ezra.' Detia sighed when her little cousin's memory stopped. The little girl's golden eyes, a shade darker than Detia's, looked up at her idol with a sad expression. Her thoughts told the mind reader that Mai, Zuko and Iroh had all chided her, sending her to her room for what she had done. Detia smiled and bumped her fist to her cousin's chin. 'Way to show them true Fire Nation pride by not crying.'

Ezra smiled then crossed her small arms over her chest and scowled. "I don't cry."

Detia chuckled and pulled her little cousin into a hug. 'Thank you for defending me when I couldn't do it myself.'

The three-year-old hugged her cousin back, forcing back her tears. "They were being so mean. You're not a bad person, and Lu Ten wouldn't even defend you."

'I know.' Detia agreed, after all she had seen everything that had happened through the little girl's mind. 'But you still shouldn't have pushed…what was his name…Gyatso?' Ezra nodded. 'You shouldn't have pushed Gyatso into that puddle.'

The little girl pulled away, her lower lip quivering. "What should I 'a done then?"

Detia smiled, 'Punched him the stomach." She made the motion and uppercut a pillow, making her cousin laugh. 'It would've taken him a minute to get up then.'

"Detia," Azula's chiding voice called, drawing both of the girl's attention to the door. "You know better than that."

'What did I do?' Detia asked.

"Giving your cousin faulty advice," Azula elaborated. "If you really wanted to floor him," she told Ezra, "when you punch someone in the stomach make sure to punch up into the diaphragm. That will knock him out for at least ten minutes." There was a short demonstration that made Ezra laugh. "Now that you know, would you please do me a favor and inform your aunt that Detia is awake."

The three-year-old nodded and slid off the bed before running through the palace to where her mom was, assuming that her aunt was with her. 'Did she really get into a fight with one of the Avatar's children because of me?' Detia asked.

Azula smiled as she sat on the bed beside her child. "Yes, she did. I've never been more proud of one of my brother's children."

The girl's golden eyes cast down to the covers. 'She got hurt because of me.'

"You should see the other kid." Azula chuckled. "The little brat has two black eyes. I didn't know a three-year old could hit that hard, except for you of course. He would still have those black eyes if his mother hadn't healed him."

Detia chuckled as well but sobered quickly. 'What was it about exactly?'

The princess sighed. "She wouldn't tell us but Lu Ten said that they were saying things about you, mean things. The little coward let his sister do all the dirty work. He's so much like his father." She grunted in disgust. "I don't know the details exactly, but I'm assuming it has to do with the crater you left in the garden."

'I left a crater in the garden!' Detia asked excitedly, making Azula laugh.

"Yes you did," Azula confirmed. "And brought on a short but terrible storm. I don't know how lightning bending works, but it seemed like you simply took everything that entered that little bubble of yours and disintegrated it."

Detia shook her head. 'That's not what I did. I just took the electrons from the molecules. When the base structure changes so suddenly, the form is no more and appears to disintegrate.' She paused and looked confused. 'I didn't know I knew that.'

The princess laughed again. "At least it sounded smart," she teased, watching with amusement as her child's face fell in mock annoyance.

'I am smart,' she declared, wincing when she tried to cross her arms.

"Are you alright?" Azula asked, her teasing mood vanishing.

Detia nodded. 'It feels like I trained really hard using all of my muscles, even ones I didn't know I had. I'm just sore.'

The Princess nodded. "You did do amazing things yesterday."

'I slept all day?' Detia asked incredulously, but her features lightened. 'I guess it could be worse.'

"That's true. You could have slept for three days like you did when you were two. You remember that?"

Detia nodded, but before another word could be spoken between them, Ty Lee ran into the room, not stopping until her daughter was in her arms. 'Mommy,' Detia whined half-heartedly.

"Don't you mommy me, young lady. Do you know how worried I was?" Detia didn't answer. "You need to stop doing things that're going to make me worry."

'I'll try,' Detia promised, smiling despite the fact that her Mommy's death grip called a hug was hurting her aching muscles.

"That's all I want to hear," the acrobat admitted and let the girl go, kissing her forehead for emphasis. "How do you feel?"

'Achy,' Detia answered again, earning her a softer hug from her mommy. 'Oh!' the little girl exclaimed as if it were an afterthought. 'Did the egg hatch?'

Both Azula and Ty Lee sighed. "No," Ty Lee sighed, after she and Azula stared at each other for a second, silently debating on who should tell her. She gestured to the large yellow egg that sat comfortably on a pillow in one of the chairs near the window. "It's all yellow like she said it should be, but it hasn't hatched. We had some guards put it up here."

'Did you ask Linka why?' Detia inquired.

Azula pulled a round metal object from the stand beside the bed and handed it to her daughter. "It doesn't work anymore. The engineers Zuko has working for him said it short-circuited. The technology is far to advanced for any of them to even know where to start fixing it."

'Is it me or does everyone Uncle Zuko hires seem to be completely useless?' she asked as she looked the device over, earning a chuckle from both her parents. Carefully, she placed the item on the bed beside her, looking up at her parents. 'Do you think what I did yesterday will hurt my chances at making friends?'

Ty Lee and Azula looked at each other at the seemingly random question. "I don't see why it would?" Ty Lee offered. "You're a sweet girl. But…" Detia flinched slightly at the 'but', though smiled when her mommy pulled a clump of dirt from her hair. "You do need a bath."

Azula chuckled. "We'll get the bath ready," Azula offered, surprising both Ty Lee and Detia with her silent offer. "What?" the princess inquired. "She may have bruises somewhere, and if we plan to continue training tomorrow, I need to know where she's sore the most."

A sly expression crossed the acrobat's features. "Sure, whatever you say, sweetheart. You just want to make sure she's okay."

Azula scoffed at the notion and stood, walking out of the room with over-the-top dignity. Ty Lee giggled, "Come to our room in ten minutes. I know you want to look at that egg."

Detia smiled, her mommy knew her so well, as Ty Lee left the room after her wife. When they were gone, the little girl carefully slipped out of bed, wincing when her feet made contact with sold floor, and slowly made her way to the egg. Without touching it, she looked at the solid yellow egg, finding no white spots and wondering why it hadn't hatched. For five minutes she examined the egg, then sighed and started for the door. Even though her mommy said ten minutes, she figured with the way she was feeling she should get a head start. She touched the egg, running her hand over the smooth surface as she passed it and didn't look back until the sound of cracking reached her ears.

Faster than she thought her body could move at that moment, she was at the egg, watching as the yellow darkened where her hand had been then simply falling off. She moved back as the egg began to shake, smiling from ear to ear as one yellow wing broke free from the shell, shattering the hard membrane like it was a thin layer of ice. Its long, jagged yellow feathers fluffed out of that visible wing, revealing the grey feathers at the base of the wing, as it made a swift move downward, cutting through the shell like a warm knife through butter. A long yellow neck uncoiled from its shell like shape against a grey chest, its grey head going in a circle as if stretching the muscles, until two innocent dark grey eyes looked at Detia down a long beak. The bird's head tilted to the side as the yellow feathers at the back of its head popped up. 'Hi,' she thought, hoping that it could understand her.

It tilted its head to the other side before calling out loudly in a beautiful song-bird-type voice. Detia's smile widened, if it was possible, as it jumped down from the chair and hopped over to her, rubbing it's head against her lower torso. She knelt, though it was taller than her when she did. 'What's your name?' she asked, and it tilted its head. 'You don't have one. Hm. Are you a girl?' The bird made a squawking sound as if it was disgusted, making her laugh. 'Alright, a boy name then,' she thought. 'How about thunder? I know not very original…'

'I like it,' a young male voice echoed in her head, throwing her off guard and knocking her to her bottom.

'You can talk like me?' she asked, and he tilted his head again, before taking a hold of her night shirt and prompting her to get up.

She did as she was prompted, standing when he answered, 'I can.'

Impulsively, she hugged the bird. 'Wait till my parents see you!'

TBC

~Bonus Random Scene~ A Year Later ~

~Because I felt like writing it but it was too short to make into a chapter of its own and really has little place in the current, which is more than it would have in future chapters so it's here. XP~

"Are you ready, Detia?" Lu Ten asked as they walked with their parents towards the Fire Nation Academies.

Detia only glared at him, making him laugh. Just a couple of minutes ago her 8-year-old cousin was kicking and screaming and trying just about anything to get out of starting another year at the academy. Detia had only stared at him like he was an idiot, holding the hand of her mommy as her mother worked things out with the teachers or something. Little did he know but she had thrown a fit before they even left the palace, that way no one in public could see her doing it. He, apparently, didn't have a problem with ruining his Image.

The little six-year-old had successfully made her way through an entire week of school, a trial week as her mother had called it, without fainting from the overload of minds. After hatching the egg, Detia found that such things as blocking minds and\or focusing on one was much easier. But any more than eight hours with more than ten people within a twenty foot radius of her still made her head hurt and made it hard to concentrate. Azula had come up with a way to solve that problem. The princess was arranging it so that Detia would sit at the back of the class room on the far left side, cutting the boundaries she had to worry about into a fourth. From that seat she only had to deal with approximately 3 people's minds – since the other two desks beside hers were empty – and she could easily block those.

Unfortunately, she also found out that news and rumors flew like wildfire and some of them never left. The rumors about what happened when she hatched the egg, that she was some kind of demon was the most popular one, made the other girls shy away from her. And the ones who didn't only wanted to be her friend because of her status. At first, she was okay with that. But she was no pushover, and when she wouldn't allow them push her around, they stopped being her friends. Azula informed her that she didn't need friends like them anyways, and if she gave her their family names, she could make them regret messing with her. As much as Detia wanted to, she didn't, telling her mother that it wasn't worth it. They weren't worth her time. The Princess smiled proudly at her daughter.

Lu Ten waved as he walked with his parents and sisters over to the boy's academy. Luckily it wasn't far, since she had to walk over there every day during physical education. The first day of her class was basic breathing exercises she had been doing since she was one. So impressed was her teacher that he passed her up three grades, which was learning mediocre Fire Bending techniques – things she had been learning since she was three. At the end of the day after going through countless drills, Detia finally ended up with nearly graduated male students. Where she would be learning highly advanced techniques that incorporated the other bending styles, which she also knew but was tired of moving up so pretended she didn't and messed up on purpose. It also allowed her to use her mommy's techniques, which was a major bonus. Ty Lee found out first and hugged her daughter for ten minutes straight, telling her how happy and proud she was. When Azula found out, she had smiled that proud, smug smile.

Just like she was smiling now as she ushered Detia into the brightly colored classroom, amateurish cutouts hanging on the wall, and pointed out the seat she would be sitting in. The little girl sighed and looked out the window, spying Thunder perched on the branches of the closest tree, nearly drooling at the unfortunate animal he had in his clutches. Detia smiled at her friend, yes friend – not pet – one of the two she had, the other being her cousin who wouldn't start school for another year. Reflexively, she caught a ball of paper that was thrown at her, glancing around the room to see if she could tell who threw it. The group of giggling girls all huddled up together with one or another occasionally looking her way was the first big hint. Their way too obvious thoughts the other hint. The lightning bender rolled her eyes and un-crumpled the paper, glad that her mother had left just in time to not see that. Agni only knows what her Mother would do to those girls' families if she found out what was written on that piece of paper.

Detia caught the eyes of one of the girls and lit the paper on fire, incinerating it instantly, not even leaving ashes. The girl gulped and turned back to her friends. Before something else could be done, the teacher walked in and everyone set at attention. They went through the basic routine; bow, say hello to the teacher, and recite the Fire Nation pledge. The teacher was young, her dark brown hair, which matched her eyes perfectly, done up in a traditional topknot. "Alright class." She started, seeing Detia off in the corner. "I'm glad you could make it this year, princess," she addressed and Detia nodded professionally. "Alright, class." She turned to the board behind her. "Today we'll be learning how to subtract." Half the class groaned.

Detia was part of that half, scowling when she heard Thunder's laughter all the way from the tree he was in. This was going to be a long year, and unless they got some new students, a lonely one as well.

The end.

A/N: Read Beyond Birth….do it… :} Also, I'm working on a prologue for this story based solely on Ty Lee and Azula called Ember Island. Look out of it.


	12. Chapter 12

Of Fire

Chapter 12

Toph walked slowly down a large corridor of the Fire Nation Palace, a piece of paper in her hands. Her brow creased in frustration as she ran her hand slowly over the text on the page, feeling the slight raising of the ink. It was a map, she knew. It was the instructions that were giving her a hard time. Understanding the sounds the words made and what the symbols that illustrated these sounds looked like had been easy. A few lessons on the beach with a few teachers as they drew them in the sand had done the trick. So, technically, she could read. The only problem, at first, being that it had to be carved in stone, metal, or sand for her to see it. But since people hadn't done that for millennia, this trick was no good to her.

The blind bandit had gone through every scholar in the Earth Kingdom who might be able to teach her to read on paper. In her mind, there was no reason why she shouldn't be able to. Her reasoning being that if she could see with her feet, there was no reason why she couldn't read with her hands. The scholars had disagreed, telling her that they had no idea how to help her. A few had some good ideas, ideas that helped normal blind people to read. But reading indented words on heavy paper was not her task. For her task, to complete her goal, she would have to learn to read on paper. So when the Earth Kingdom failed her she went to the Fire Nation. Zuko was always boasting about their excellent school system.

Well, that wasn't true. She had gone to Katara first, to see if the Master Water Bender could heal her eyes. For some reason, a reason she knew but refused to tell anyone, not even the water from the spirit oasis could heal her blindness. Luckily, Toph hadn't expected it would, so she wasn't too disappointed when it didn't work. But she had to at least try. So after that, she hopped a boat and visited her good friend the Fire Lord to tell him the good news – in private – and to see if anyone in the Fire Nation could help. Once Zuko received confirmation of Toph's 'Good News,' he promptly ordered his best scholars to help her.

In the end, they failed her as well, though the Fire Lady was very helpful with what Toph had asked her to teach her. Honestly, she had preferred to ask Azula for these lessons – seeing as the princess was already teaching one person. But Zuko and Mai agreed that keeping this good news known to the fewest amount of people as possible was a good idea. Toph didn't agree but shrugged it off. If they didn't want Azula to know, she wouldn't tell them otherwise.

The Fire Nation scholars, the Earth Bender found out, were annoying and uppity. In the Earth Kingdom, people respected her a great deal. Not only because she was infamous as the Blind Bandit but because of her dealings in the war. The scholars of the Fire Nation had no such respect for her. Their ideas were faulty and half-baked. She had about given up, telling them – in not so many kind words – to get out and leave her alone. The scholars left without verbal complaint. No one seemed to understand her or how to process her gift to benefit her. She ended up going to the garden to calm down, to feel the earth under her bare feet when she was approached by her current teacher.

The seven year old princess of the Fire Nation had sat down beside her without a word, taking a pose similar to her own. And for the longest time they meditated – not saying a word. It was Toph who spoke first. "Isn't it time for your training or something?"

'No,' the silent voice replied. 'Both of my parents are out of the country.'

"Anniversary?" Toph asked with a crooked smile, knowing full well that it was none of her business.

'Business,' Detia answered, not the least bit amused. 'The tasks I was given are finished for the day.'

"I see."

'No, you don't,' came the girl's sharp reply, which only amused the Earth Bender more. 'Not with your eyes, at least.' Toph nodded but remained silent. 'I can help you learn to read,' the girl suddenly offered, making Toph laugh.

"What could you possibly teach me that everyone else hasn't already tried?" Toph asked, honestly wanting to know with no sharpness to the question.

The little girl thought for a second. 'They do not know how to use your ability to help you. They don't understand it. Our situations are similar. You are blind, but you can see. I am mute, but I can speak. I can teach you how to read on paper, if you want me to. If you don't mind being taught by someone twice your junior.'

The blind woman turned to the girl, though she could clearly see her without turning. "You think you can teach me to read?" Detia nodded. "Alright then. I'm just about willing to try anything," she chuckled.

It had taken a month, but true to her word, Detia had taught Toph to read on normal paper using her hands. It was hard to see using her hands and feet while simultaneously concentrating on the words and her surroundings. Learning to see the words with her hands had been easy, just as easy as seeing with her feet. The little girl had explained that Toph was limiting herself by believing that she didn't already have the ability to read with her hands. Detia had said that the Earth is constantly moving, pulsing – something Toph had already known but amused the girl by acting as if she didn't. The seven- year-old had chuckled lightly before telling Toph to feel closer, focus on the Earth as it pulsed, cutting out everyone and everything else.

Toph did as she was told, even though she had no idea what good it did. While she was still concentrating on the Earth, Detia placed the Earth Bender's hands on the paper, guiding them over the large text. The instant her hand touched the paper, her super concentrated mind focused on the paper and the ink that lay above it. And, like magic, the words and their meaning appeared in her mind as if they had been there the whole time. She had been so ecstatic that she had jumped up from her seat, grabbed her little teacher and threw her in the air – catching her in a tight hug. 'You're not out of the woods yet,' Detia's stern voice informed after she had been placed on the ground and dusted her outfit of invisible dust.

Toph had laughed, "Who cares? I just read on normal paper and it was only my first lesson!"

Detia rolled her eyes, though Toph couldn't see that. 'Just so you know, I'm rolling my eyes.'

"Gods, you are so much like your mother." Toph laughed. Detia only lifted an eyebrow, as the Earth Bender remembered a day from the past. A day of darkness for the Fire Nation but amusing conversations for the Earth Bender. It made Detia smile. "Alright, Sifu Detia," Toph stated bowing to the little girl, which turned that smile to a smirk real quick. "Teach me what you know."

And Detia did. Hell, on their second lesson Detia had given Toph the temporary ability to physically see as Detia did normally. In no short terms, Detia explained that it was only temporary and would last only twenty-four hours. Any longer would have permanently damaged her ability to see with her feet. Toph assured Detia that a day was enough, and then told her that she was kinda cute for a little kid, ruffling the head of long white hair until Detia slapped her hand away. Luckily for Toph, all of the Gaang was at the palace, and she was able to actually see what they looked like but pretended that she couldn't because it amused her. Surprisingly, Sokka had been the only one to figure it out, but because they were so much alike, he played along with Toph's plan and didn't tell anyone. How he restrained himself Toph didn't know.

At the end of her twenty-four hours she realized that she really didn't miss the ability to physically see, it was nice but limited, which was what Detia's plan was all along. Toph much preferred her way, which she found she couldn't do while she could see. She had told Detia of her revelation and asked to learn more. In retrospect, she wondered why she readily told a seven-year-old something that would usually have to be pried out of her. After the thought hit her, all Toph did was shrug it off and never broached the subject again. She didn't really need a reason for doing anything she did.

The hardest part was seeing multiple things at once. Standing still and reading a piece of paper was much easier than walking and reading, which was why Toph was reading the map in front of her and trying to figure out where it was going. Her little teacher had run off into the palace for this game of hide and seek, her footsteps too light for even Toph to hear or see for that matter. She cursed lightly under her breath, wondering why Detia had to write so small as some of the words jumbled together. "Toph," Azula's cold voice said from not too far away, making the Earth Bender jump.

"Damn it," Toph cursed, a hand on her heart. "You scared me," she admitted, earning a lifted eyebrow from the princess. "Can I do something for you?"

"It has come to my attention," Azula started, her tone cold as ice and sharp as daggers, "that you have been spending an excess amount of time with my daughter."

"I don't know about excess amount of time." Toph countered, just to get on Azula's nerves, which she succeeded at.

"Regardless, people are starting to talk, and I don't like what I'm hearing. Would you care to join me in a private room?" the princess demanded in the form of a question, motioning to a door not far from them.

Toph looked down at the paper in her hands before rolling it up and stuffing it into her belt. She could use this little rest to regain her bearings. "Lead the way," she offered.

Azula nodded, leading the way to an open door. From what Toph could tell, the door lead to a small meeting room with only a table in it. A few servants were setting up the tea. Azula sat and Toph followed, sitting in front of the Fire bender. No words were spoken until the last servant left the room. Azula sipped her tea with exaggerated properness before opening her eyes over the rim of her cup to study the blind Earth Bender. "I assume you are aware of what people are saying?"

"Nah," Toph answered, purposefully improper. "I don't usually pay any attention to rumors."

Azula nodded. "Neither do I. However, these rumors concern my daughter, and I cannot over look them."

Toph nodded in understanding. "What are they saying?" Toph asked, brushing her long unbound black hair – that hung to middle of her back in large waves – over her shoulder.

Azula set her cup down, though never took her hands off it. "They say that your relationship with Detia is less than appropriate, to put it mildly."

"Curses, they found out? We hid it so well. We weren't going to say anything to you until she got much older," Toph informed with a light smile.

"What?" Azula countered, the smell of burning tea filling the room as the cup in her hands broke.

"I was kidding, Azula. Geez, learn to take a joke." The blind Earth Bender quickly amended.

"That is not something to joke about. If you had been telling the truth, I would have to killed you." Azula said with all the seriousness in the world.

Toph nodded. "You're right; it's not something to joke about. I'm sorry. Nothing inappropriate is going on between me and Detia. She's only seven years old. That's disgusting."

"I agree."

"You have some sick people in this country."

"I agree with that as well," Azula agreed, making Toph chuckle.

"Seriously though, I do love your kid," Toph admitted and Azula's cold demeanor returned. "Only a little bit more than I love everyone else's kids. She's smart and cute, but she's only a child. Those kind of thoughts hadn't even crossed my mind until you said something."

Azula nodded. "All of that's true, but you have been spending a lot of time with her."

"Yeah, she's teaching me to read," Toph said with a smile.

"But you're blind." Azula stated. Toph only smirked. "Alright, I'll accept that. From the way you were walking around, it seems you are trying to read on normal paper. You do know that they have some kind of reading for the blind, right?"

Toph paused then whispered. "Alright, I'm going to tell you something that Zuko and Mai didn't want me to tell anyone."

Intrigued, Azula leaned forward slightly. "Okay, what?"

The Earth Bender paused before beginning. "Recently, I've been spending time in Ba Sing Se, messing around with Bumi. You know who that is right?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "Of course, I know who that is. He was the King of Omashu and took over ruling Ba Sing Se after the war. He is the King of the Earth Kingdom."

"Right," Toph smiled. "Well a couple of months ago, he called me into his private chambers and offered me to be his heir." She paused again.

"Really," the princess stated, completely intrigued. "Did you accept?"

"In a way," Toph answered. "He gave the task of learning to read from normal parchment, because no ruler should be without the ability to read. How else are we supposed to make treaties or whatever. Once I do that, I will accept the offer and become Queen of the Earth Kingdom."

Azula nodded. "From what I'm told, you are something of a wild child. Why would you want to settle down?"

Toph shrugged. "It seems like the right thing to do," she answered vaguely, giving Azula the impression that she knew more than she was letting on.

"I see," Azula remarked, letting her impression go. "And Detia is the only one who would understand about your unique ability. She would know how to properly utilize it."

"Yeah, kid's smart as a whip with a tongue just as sharp. She gets it from you, and I think it's hilarious," Toph admitted.

Azula smiled, it was all true. "So, you are not doing anything inappropriate with my child?" she asked, just to make things clear.

"Not yet," Toph smirked.

"Don't make me kill you," Azula warned, knowing that Toph was only teasing.

Toph laughed. "Hey," she said stopping Azula as she was about to stand. "I have a request."

"What?" Azula asked as if it annoyed her to be there.

"You're really good with political stuff, like negotiations and things, better than Zuko or Mai. I know because I've been to a few negotiations with you. I was in the back so no one saw me." She elaborated when Azula was about to ask which ones she had been to. "Could you teach me? I know I won't be as good as you, but still, I need to know this stuff," the Earth Bender asked, purposefully stroking the Fire Nation Princess' ego.

Azula thought it over for a minute. Having the future ruler of the Earth Kingdom as her ally would definitely benefit her. "I suppose I could do that. I'm already teaching Detia, another student wouldn't hurt."

"Sweet." Toph smiled in triumph as she stood, taking the map out of her belt. "I have to go find your brat now."

"Toph," Azula said, grabbing the younger woman's attention. "Good use of manipulation."

"Learned from the best," Toph countered and continued her search.

~x~

Detia sat in the garden, hidden by the dense underbrush from most everyone. Her favorite little cousin sat beside her with her back leaning up against Detia's side. Neither said anything as they read their respective books. Detia had concluded it a good day for reading, the sun was bright in the sky with no clouds to block it, and the weather wasn't too hot. So, the lightning bender took a random book from the section of the library that she hadn't read and headed outside. After finishing her lessons with Toph, she found she had a lot of free time. Ezra had caught up with her quickly, a book in her hands as well.

So now, they sat silently reading their respective books. Detia closed her book suddenly and sighed, causing Ezra to look at her in wonder. Before the little girl could ask, a loud stomping and breaking of limbs came to her ears. Both looked in the direction of the sound as a tan-skinned girl, no older than Detia, stormed into the opening muttering something like 'stupid boys.' The girl stopped, her thick chocolate hair done up in a ponytail with two thick braided strands falling from her short straight bangs – typical Water Tribe hair style - swishing with the slight breeze. Her predominantly green bellbottom pants and shirt were covered by a blue tunic giving a clue to her mixed linage. Her blue eyes widened in surprise but softened. "Hey," she said in a friendly manner. Ezra turned back to her book while Detia waved. "Can I sit with you?" Detia shrugged and motioned for the girl to sit with them. She did, straightening out her blue loin cloth, not sitting too close but not that far away. "Do you remember me? We met once."

'I do,' Detia answered. 'You're Yue, second daughter of Sokka and Suki.'

Yue smiled. "Hey, wow you have a good memory." Detia only nodded. "So, what are you guys up to?"

"Reading," Ezra answered coldly.

"Oh," Yue said with an awkward smile. "Well, it is a good day for reading," the girl agreed with an odd laugh. Silently, the two older girls stared at each other for a second or two. "So, Detia, um…we don't see you around much, so I don't really know what to talk about."

'After what happened two years ago, you still want me to hang around you?' Detia asked in wonder.

"What happened two years ago?" Yue asked, honestly confused. "Oh. Oh! You mean with the egg." Detia nodded. "That was awesome, why wouldn't we want you around? At the very least, Lu Ten wouldn't act like he's better than all of us."

'He acts that way?' Detia asked.

"Not all the time but sometimes. And that really gets on my nerves," Yue admitted.

Detia nodded in understanding. She had set him straight about his superior attitude towards her a long time ago. 'But after what Gyatso said I thought I wouldn't be welcomed.'

A brown eyebrow lifted. "You mean when he got into that fight with Ezra?" Again Detia nodded. "That was a misunderstanding. What he said was that your powers were great like a monsters'. If you know him, that's a compliment. He has an odd fascination with large things that have a lot of power that he calls monsters, like a dragon. Ezra came in at the wrong time when he said this and demanded that he take it back. He wouldn't because it wasn't an insult to him, and Ezra pushed him. He hit her while he was falling. He got all scraped up by that fall, too."

'Is that so?' Detia asked as she grabbed the collar of Ezra's black robe, forcing the girl back down as she tried to get up.

"Yeah," Yue answered, smiling as she watched Ezra try to pull away from her older cousin. "You shouldn't blame her," Yue defended. "She was only doing what any good cousin would do."

'I know,' Detia replied, letting Ezra go who fell backwards before standing up and brushing herself off.

Yue grabbed Detia's free hand suddenly, surprising Detia with the ease at which the other girl touched her. Hardly anyone touched her so readily, her family and Toph excluded. "Come on, I'll reintroduce you to everyone!"

Before Detia could do anything, Yue pulled her up and rushed her back to the group – her earlier anger long forgotten. "Look who decided to come back," a male voice said mockingly as Yue entered the main section of the garden. "Hey, you brought Detia with you," he said much nicer this time. "Way to go."

"That's my older brother, Atrayu. You can ignore him," Yue informed Detia, who nodded slightly, only able to see that the boy in question looked very similar to Sokka, though his eyes were brown – he even wore only light blues and white like his father – before Lu Ten blocked her view.

"Detia! Perfect timing," he exclaimed taking control of his cousin, pulling her away from Yue and over to the side before any of the other children could say anything to her. "You're just the person we've been looking for." She gave him a suspicious look, which he ignored. "You see, Tenzen…" he paused. "You remember him, right?"

'The Avatar's oldest son? Yes, I remember,' Detia confirmed.

"Good, well anyways, he was talking to his dad about the different styles of bending and Fire came up. Apparently, my dad and Uncle Aang went into the ancient city of the Sun Warriors and learned Fire Bending from there. I thought that, since it was summer and all, we could all go on a short vacation to that city. You never know, we might learn something." Detia nodded, she understood that he really only wanted to learn to be a better Fire Bender and maybe beat her at their mock Agni Kis. "But, I asked dad, and he said no."

'That makes sense. The place is probably riddled with booby-traps,' Detia offered.

Lu Ten waved the comment off. "What's a few booby-traps? We can handle that; most of us are trained for things like that." Detia consented, that was true. "Besides don't you want to have more of a challenge when we fight?" Detia did want that. "All you have to do is ask Aunt Azula and Ty Lee if they'll take us." He paused to let her think it over. "So, what do you say?" Detia smiled and nodded. "Excellent!" he exclaimed then turned back to the group. "She'll ask."

Except for two youngest children there, who didn't know what was going on, everyone congratulated each other. "They haven't said yes yet, guys," Yue intoned, breaking their good mood.

"Party pooper," Atreyu said under his breath, earning him a punch in the arm from his little sister. "Ouch," he whined rubbing his arm.

Detia smiled at their antics before easily finding Azula and Ty Lee's minds. Her parents were sitting side-by-side in front of Toph and Suki. Zuko and Mai were talking to Sokka in some other part of the palace and Katara and Aang weren't actually at the palace this time. Detia waited to see what the adults were talking about, finding that they were talking about Toph's future coronation. 'Mommy, Mother,' Detia called mentally, gaining their attention easily and that of Toph's because, for some reason, Toph was always capable of hearing her and because she didn't want Lady Suki to feel left out allowed her to hear as well.

'Yes,' Azula and Ty Lee chorused, smiling at each other when they did.

'Everyone was wondering if you would take us to the Sun Warrior city for a vacation of sorts.'

'Any particular reason why?' Azula inquired.

'One of the Avatar's kids said that his dad learned Fire bending from the ruins. Lu Ten wants to go check it out. He thinks he'll get better somehow,' Detia informed them.

They nodded. "The summer solstice festival is two days away. It might do the children some good to learn more about the people who started the festival," Ty Lee easily consented.

"I think it's a good idea," Suki also agreed.

"I'll go if everyone else is going," Toph informed. "That place is full of booby-traps. I can at least help avoid them."

Azula was silent for a second before saying, "The royal airship is fully stocked with just about everything we'll need. It should only take us a couple of hours to get there, if that. All we have to do is go."

'So that's a yes?' Detia asked.

"We should tell Zuko, Mai, and Sokka of our plans before we go." Suki suggested.

Azula nodded, quickly calculating how long it'd take to tell Zuko and the others plus whatever time it took to convince him it was a good idea. "Be ready in an hour at the front gates of the palace."

Detia nodded mentally before cutting the link. She turned to the other children who were looking at her expectantly. 'They said yes,' she informed and smiled when Lu Ten hugged her.

"You're the greatest you know that!" he exclaimed happily.

'I know,' she answered back with a half smirk when he stopped smiling and let her go. 'We have an hour to get ready. Then we meet up with my parents, Lady Suki, and Toph at the gate entrance. We will then take a balloon to the ancient city,' she said, bringing his attention to that.

"Let's go!" Lu Ten yelled. "We have one hour to get ready. Let's meet up at the front gates before then."

The other kids nodded and headed inside to get their things ready. "Detia," a young male voice called timidly after the other kids were gone.

The lightning bender turned and was face to face with a young boy about the same age as Ezra and Ursa. His short, clean-cut dark brown hair spiked up as his timid grey-blue eyes looked up into her golden ones. She recognized him as the Avatar's youngest son, Gyatso. 'Yes?' she asked curiously.

He fidgeted with the golden yellow rims of his sky blue tunic. Slowly he swallowed and took a deep breath then bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean for it to be taken the wrong way. I thought what you did was really cool." He paused, glancing up at her before straightening. "I know you don't like my dad. But I was hoping that it wouldn't extend to his kids."

She smiled. 'You are forgiven. I'm sorry I took it the wrong way. And I don't dislike you guys. I thought you guys didn't like me.'

"That couldn't be farther from the truth!" the little boy exclaimed as he impulsively hugged the white-haired girl, for the second time that day surprised by how affectionate these kids were. She patted his back lightly two times before he let go. "Hey! Did you ever manage to get that egg opened?"

Detia nodded as they walked together towards the palace. 'He's around somewhere.'

"Cool! Will we be able to see him?" Gyatso asked excitedly.

'Probably,' Detia assured, 'He likes to tag along whenever I go somewhere besides here.'

~x~

Detia stood next to her mother looking over the guard rail of the air balloon at the ancient city of the Sun Warriors. 'Uncle Zuko gave you a hard time about coming here?'

"Yeah," Azula answered with a slight smirk. "But your mommy gave him a stern look and here we are."

'Go Mommy,' Detia rooted, making sure her mommy, who was in their assigned room getting ready to disembark the air ship, could hear.

Detia heard Ty Lee chuckle lightly. "Of course there was a lot of arguing between the two, but Zuko couldn't come up with a good reason to stop us."

"Princess," A man in heavy armor addressed with a salute as she turned to him, "we are about to land."

Azula nodded, looking to Detia to inform the rest of their party. Within thirty minutes, everyone was at the border of the ancient city. "Isn't this exciting!" Yue exclaimed as she immediately laced her arm around Detia's, moving in close.

The surprise and confusion on Detia's face amused her mother to no end. So much so, that she even pointed it out to Ty Lee, who thought it was adorable. "Which way should we go first?" Lu Ten asked, coming up beside Ezra, who had promptly taken Detia's other arm.

Everyone looked at Detia, all of their thoughts indicating that for some unknown reason she would know the way. 'Why is everyone looking at me?' Detia asked.

"We could always go towards the temple," the oldest child there, who Detia remembered was Sokka and Lady Suki's daughter, Koyumi offered, pointing to the tall temple on the opposite side of the city.

Not that she needed to remember, Koyumi looked exactly like her mother, who she was standing by. They could have been sisters. "That's a good place to start," Suki agreed, picking up her two year old nephew, who Detia hadn't met before.

'That's Kuai,' Toph offered mentally. 'Aang and Katara's youngest son.'

Detia nodded slightly as the group started to walk down the maze of houses towards the temple. Occasionally one of the adults – excluding Azula, because she only cared about her daughter – would tell one of the kids to stay where they could see them or not to run too far ahead. The stops from the temple to the beginning were few, but the detours were a lot. Lu Ten actually found an old sun warrior knife in one of the houses, after he tripped over it. He reasoned proudly that since it hurt him he could keep it. No one argued with him as he placed the knife in his belt, but Detia and Azula both noticed that the knife was not as old as it should have been. Their silent conversation on that fact was short, but now, they were both keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

Detia, with permission from Toph, kept a close eye on what the Earth Bender was seeing as well. Not only for the reason that there might be people in the ancient city but because she could stop some of the other children from activating the booby-traps. Together, the adults and Detia had already prevented three such accidents. "Hey guys, check this out!" Atrayu called from the top of a stair case, causing everyone to pick up their pace and head towards him. "Look what I found!"

"It's a mural," Koyumi noted when everyone reached Atrayu and gazed upon the huge painting.

"It looks like the Dragons are going to eat him," Gyatso observed, making chewing and crunching noises, which made his twin older sisters laugh. Detia had met them briefly the day she had met everyone else. If she recalled correctly, their names were Kya and Hanna, and they were fraternal twins. The only thing they really had in common was their skin color, which was lighter than their other siblings, closer to their father's. Kya was an Air bender, Detia noted, considering her thin straight brown hair was fashioned like the Air Nomad's and the outfit she wore was air nomad style with yellows and tans. Her sister Hanna was a water bender, keeping her thick brown hair, darker by just a shade than her sister's, tied back at the nap of her neck and wearing light blues and white. "What do you think Detia?"

The question drew the Lightning Bender out of her observation, and confounded her. Why was he asking her what she thought and no one else? She lifted an eyebrow in confusion, reading his mind only told her that he honestly wanted to know, with no other thoughts. So, she turned her attention to the mural and examined it. At first glance, it appeared as if the two dragons were surrounding the Sun Warrior with fire in order to kill him. 'I don't think so,' she stated as she studied the painting. 'Dragons gave Fire Benders the ability to bend Fire. Why would the ancient warriors paint a picture of creatures they loved in a negative light? I think this picture shows how the Dragons gave their ability to the humans.' Impulsively, the white-haired child touched the painted, running her hand that wasn't being held by Yue over the cracked and eroded painting. 'Yes, I think that is the case.'

"Cool. You are so smart," Gyatso complimented, making Detia blush.

"Hey, there's a huge sun dial calendar thing over here!" Tenzen yelled from somewhere past the wall the mural was on.

Suki sighed and mumbled, "That boy, always running off."

Then Atrayu ran past his mother, Lu Ten following close behind. "Those two aren't any better," Koyumi stated, pointing to her brother and Lu Ten.

At a leisurely pace, because no one was in any real hurry, the group came to the courtyard of the city just in time to see Lu Ten reflect the light with his new, old knife onto the red gem that stood atop the pole at the far end of the old calendar. "Lu Ten!" Ty Lee called out. "What are doing?"

The boy looked up at his aunts. "There's a door here. We're thinking the gem thingy opens it."

"There's probably a reason why it's closed," Suki said.

"You need a bigger sword," Azula replied, surprising the other adults as she jogged over to her nephew, pulling out a single broad sword.

"Since when do you carry a broad sword?" Ty Lee asked, following her wife and the rest of the children to where Azula was standing.

The princess shrugged. "You never know. I like to be prepared."

"Who cares, as long as she opens the door," Atrayu intoned, earning a glare from his mother, which he didn't see because the instant the light from the broad sword hit the gem the doors opened.

The boys cheered. "See, I told you this was a good idea!" Lu Ten yelled. "Adventure! Just like our parents."

"Our parents didn't have their parents with them," Atrayu pointed out.

"Yes, but our parents were also older than we are." Koyumi countered, walking past her bother towards the newly opened doors.

"There's nothing in here but a bunch of funny looking statues." Tenzen informed, disappointment dripping in his tone.

All of the children, excluding Detia, Koyumi, and Ezra who didn't care, awwed. "Maybe there's a switch on the wall or something," Gyatso offered, lifting their spirits as they ran to walls.

Detia, after Yue finally let go of her, along with her parents and Toph studied the statues. "You know, this kinda looks like the Dancing Dragon form Aang and Zuko did after they came back from this place," Toph noted, choosing to leave out the fact that there was a hidden compartment in the floor.

"Yeah," Lu Ten said even though no one was talking to him directly. "I've seen dad and Uncle Aang do it."

'Maybe if you followed the statues you'll open the hidden compartment Toph isn't telling anyone about,' Detia stated, giving Toph a slightly dirty look, which the Earth bender ignored because she couldn't see it.

Ty Lee easily volunteered by stepping into the same exact position as one of the statues. When no one else moved to be the second person, Azula rolled her eyes and walked into the shadow of the statue exactly parallel from her wife, mimicking the statue perfectly. The princess nearly gasped as one of the stones under foot gave way slightly but caught herself before the sound could come out. "Alright, on three!" Ty Lee exclaimed, grabbing the children's attention and bringing them to watch as she counted to three.

Once the acrobat hit three, she and Azula perfectly performed the Dancing Dragon in unison. When they finished, everyone clapped but stopped instantly as the building rumbled. Up from the floor a stone pedestal rose, a golden egg-shaped object resting on the top. Silence filled the air as the object glittered in the rays of the sun. Lu Ten was the first to snap out of it as he ran to the object. 'Don't touch it!' Detia's voice yelled in his head, sounding as if she had been right next to him and bringing him to his knees.

"That hurt!" he exclaimed.

Detia ignored him as she walked past him to the glittery object. 'It's pressure sensitive,' she informed him. 'If you had removed it, something bad would have happened.' The white-haired girl examined the egg critically. 'I've got it, does anyone have any rope?'

"I do," Azula stated, seemingly pulling the rope out of thin air.

"You're carrying rope too?" Ty Lee asked incredulously.

"I had to be prepared. We didn't know what we were walking into." Azula explained as she wrapped the rope around the object without touching it, just as her daughter told her to do. "Okay, now what?"

With Azula holding the rope, everyone backed out of the temple. 'On three, I want everyone to pull as hard as you can,' she said as everyone grabbed a bit of the rope.

She counted to three slowly, and once she hit the number, everyone pulled and the object came flying towards them, barreling right into Toph's waiting arms. "See it wasn't booby-trapped," Lu Ten announced just as thick green goo spewed up from pedestal and the doors closed heavily.

'You were saying?' Detia countered with a devious triumphant smirk.

"Shut up," was Lu Ten's indignant response.

Detia chuckled lightly before being bombarded by Yue and Gyatso, who hugged her tightly. "You just saved our lives!" Yue exclaimed, hugging tighter and completely ignoring the look of unease on Detia's face.

"To coin a phrase, we're not out of the woods yet," Toph announced, holding the gem in her steady hands. "It seems we have company."

TBC

The next chapter should be up soon. Chapter 9 was supposed to be a part of chapter 8 but it was too long in my opinion so I split them. :P

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!


	13. Chapter 13

Of Fire

Chapter 13

"How many?" Azula asked, switching to general mode as Suki and Ty Lee gathered the children into a tight circle.

'Not too many,' Detia answered, trying to pry herself out of Yue and Gyatso's grip. 'About thirty maybe.'

"We can take thirty, easy," Suki assured with a slight smile directed to Ty Lee and Azula.

"Hell, we can each take thirty easy," Every ounce of confidence in Toph's being showed through her tone as she smirked. "This will be like kicking a rabbit-puppy." Azula couldn't help but chuckle. Detia finally pulled away from Yue and her cousin and walked over to Toph, who instinctively handed her the gem without a word passing between them. "Be careful with that thing; it feels alive," Toph noted then yelled, "We know you're out there! You might as well come out."

"They might actually stand a chance that way," Ty Lee intoned lightly, so only their group could hear, watching carefully as her daughter pulled out a sack from her belt (how she hid it in her belt Ty Lee didn't know) and placed the gem in it before strapping it to her back.

"Yeah, a chance of not dying on sight," Toph finished loud enough that it echoed across the courtyard, again making Azula smirk.

"Wait!" a man called, putting up his hands in a peaceful gesture and coming out into view. "We mean no harm," he informed, moving towards the group of women and children slowly.

'He looks like a sun warrior,' Detia noted as she examined the only elaborate piece of clothing he wore – the large yellow and red headdress that looked somewhat like a dragon's mane.

Everything else he wore was simple, a loin-cloth and sandals with ancient armor that didn't stand a chance against Ursa's fire, better less Azula's. Not that it would matter because his upper chest was bare, one sloppily aimed shot to the heart with lightning would kill him. Of course, that probably wouldn't even be necessary, given that Ty Lee could just as easily flip over there and block all of his chi points. Azula and Detia made the same face of consideration as this thought entered their heads at the same time and totally not on purpose. The Sun Warrior was the only who noticed, everyone else was busy trying to protect the children.

"This is a dangerous place for children," the older man stated, still wisely keeping his distance.

"You saying we can't protect our children?" Suki asked taking offense easily to the words he didn't say. She got enough of that male chauvinistic bullshit from her husband, regardless of how much she loved him.

Though, the fierceness of her reply took Azula and Ty Lee by surprise, Ty Lee less than Azula. The acrobat was close friends with the Kyoshi Warrior, after all but had always known Suki to be patient and calm. Toph was used to it. She had spent countless nights with Sokka and Suki, sometimes separately but mostly together. She knew how Sokka could get, even if he did mean well. The Sun Warrior seemed to be smarter than his attire led people to believe because he quickly denied the claim, even though his thoughts told another story.

"I said no such thing. We only ask that you leave and tell no one that we are here," he stated.

Azula rolled her eyes, slackening her stance slightly. "You do realize we have small children with us?"

His face went blank for second, as he wondered what relevance that had with his request. Ty Lee stepped in before it dawned on him, brushing past Azula a little so that she was a step ahead of her wife. She made sure that she was close enough so that Azula could grab her and pull her back if necessary. The princess knew there was one reason Ty Lee did this. That reason being to stop Azula from killing this guy just because he was an idiot telling her what to do. It was a smart move on her part, but Azula still didn't like it. "Alright, look," Ty Lee started. "We'll leave and try to keep the children from saying anything about what they saw here."

"We can't leave yet," Lu Ten whined. "I haven't learned anything about the secret of Fire Bending."

Azula rolled her eyes again, wondering why everyone else's child was so annoying. 'What secret?' Detia asked. 'There's no secret to Fire Bending.'

"There has to be." Again with the whining tone that drove Azula up the wall. She was so glad her daughter did not do that. "Dad said he was a better Fire Bender after visiting these ruins."

"So you are here to gain knowledge from the Masters?" the Sun Warrior asked, surprised that a child as young as Lu Ten was interested in learning such a thing.

"Yeah!" The Crown Prince announced excitedly, even though he had no clue what was he was about to get into. "Where are they? I'd like to learn everything I can about the original Fire Bending forms."

"Why?" the Sun Warrior asked.

Lu Ten grunted, as if the answer was the most obvious one in the world. "So he can defeat his cousin in their mock Agni Kais," Koyumi answered deadpan, because the reason was stupid to her.

'You can learn all the bending techniques in the world and you still won't be better than me.' Detia boasted, making her mother proud.

"That's not the only reason," Lu Ten announced, choosing to ignore his cousin's remark. "Dad says that learning this way will bring me peace and balance or something. I want to know what he means."

The white-haired child only shook her head. If he only practiced harder and listened to what his father was telling him, Lu Ten might last longer than five seconds against her. "The Masters are particular about who they teach. You must follow me; I will show you the way. But only the Fire Benders can go," the Sun Warrior announced.

"Would you like to repeat that last part? I'm not sure I heard you correctly," Toph asked, purposefully hitting the ground with the heel of her foot, causing the Earth to shoot up just enough for the warrior to trip over it.

He cursed lighting in his head, but to his credit, he did not grab his foot. Though, the children all knew what had happened and laughed anyways. "No, it's alright," Suki informed. "I'll take the other children back to the Air Balloon."

"Ty Lee." Azula called noticing the confliction in the acrobat's stance (yeah, she knows her wife that well) and grabbed her wife's wrist, pulling her back so that they were almost touching. "You go with her."

"But," Ty Lee tried to argue, only to be cut off by a short tender kiss.

"Don't argue with me," Azula scolded playfully, though a normal person wouldn't be able to tell.

Ty Lee deflated. "All right," she agreed as she turned around and started to help Suki gather the children.

"Detia, Lu Ten, Ursa," Azula said, "you three are coming with me."

"But Detia isn't…" Ty Lee argued quickly, stopping mid-sentence with the look Azula was giving her.

"She might as well be," the princess answered simply, patting her daughter's shoulder, and then turned to Toph. "I'm assuming you're coming with us?"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Toph answered.

Once the others were long gone and far enough away from any booby-traps, according to Toph, the five remaining looked at the man in front of them expectantly. Well, Ursa and Lu Ten did. Detia couldn't have cared less. She was a Lightning Bender, not a Fire Bender. Azula was right there with her daughter. She couldn't care less about learning from the 'Masters'. In her book, - and everyone else's - she had already learned and perfected all Fire Bending techniques. Now she was learning Lightning bending unintentionally from her daughter. Toph, on the other hand, looked as though she was ready for a fight, just hoping one of the many people hidden within the walls of the Ancient city would try something, anything, that would give her a reason.

"Follow me," the Sun Warrior announced, motioning with his hand for the outsiders to follow.

They did, and as they followed, he told them about the Master and other members of his tribe gathered around. The man who they had met, the chief as everyone assumed him to be, told them what they had to do as they reached a long staircase: take a piece of the eternal fire and offer it to The Masters. Lu Ten and Ursa whimpered just looking at it. With a simple move of her hands, the Earth Bender had them to the top of the staircase in a flash, surprising the hell out of the Chief. "This," he said shakily, "is the eternal fire." He gestured to a large fire behind him, pulling a ball into his hands.

Detia and Azula glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing as they were handed their flames. Azula watched curiously as Detia's fire sparked and turned pure white, instantly turning to electricity, before she asked the obvious question. "Isn't the eternal fire within ourselves? This little flame will die the instant I let it go, it's not very eternal."

"It's symbolic," he said in a deadpan tone, making the two adults and Detia smirk.

"What do we do now?" Lu Ten asked eagerly, holding his small flame close to his body.

The Sun Warrior smiled down at him then pointed up a mountain. "The Masters are up that mountain. You must climb it and offer the flame. They will judge you," he stated, and Azula rolled her eyes. "Like you've never been judged before. They see all, the past, the future. If you are worthy they will show you the true meaning of Fire Bending."

"They're Dragons, aren't they?" Azula asked, just as deadpan as he had been before, and he only stared at her in silent shock.

'Old ones from the sound of it,' Detia intoned then winced. 'My head's starting to hurt.'

"We need to get this over with, can we hurry this along?" Toph questioned before Azula.

"The mountain..." the sun warrior started.

"To the mountain top!" Toph exclaimed with an over dramatic pointing pose, making the children laugh.

"I'll race you Ursa!" Lu Ten yelled as he started running.

"No fair!" his little sister called after him. "You're cheating," she called indignantly as she raced towards him.

Toph sidled up to Detia and Azula as they started to follow the two young Fire Benders, placing a hand on the little girl's white hair. "How ya feelin'?"

'My head still hurts,' Detia answered, dropping her hands to her side and losing her fire – something her mother had done the second they were away from the Sun Warriors. 'There are too many people.' Which translated to: my head's been aching for a while. But now, it's pounding like a jackhammer, and I can't concentrate.

Both Toph and Azula knew this; Detia had a very high tolerance for pain and wouldn't complain until it became unbearable. Toph looked to Azula, whose expression was slightly worried, the blind Earth Bender noticed how Azula kept close to her daughter, ready to catch her if the need arose. Toph wasn't going to let the need arise and easily picked up the little girl and placed her on her shoulders. Detia protested mildly. "Shut up," Toph said sternly, the odd command making Detia go silent. She had never been told that before. Be quiet maybe, but never shut up. "The walk up this mountain will take at least twenty minutes. You said sleep always made you feel better, so take a nap."

"Don't tell my daughter to shut up," Azula interjected calmly.

"Forgive me," Toph said with a frown. "Stop complaining, is that better?" Azula nodded with a half-smile because of Detia's smug expression.

"I could do that, you know?" Azula replied after a minute and Detia was fast asleep on Toph's shoulders, her head cradled in her arms that rested on the Earth Bender's head – Toph's metal headband carried in Toph's hand.

"I know," Toph answered. "No offense, but I'm physically stronger than you. I'm an Earth Bender; it's what I'm made for. And your kid's as light as a feather. I can barely feel her." Azula chuckled lightly, knowing everything Toph said was true. "Are you nervous about meeting the dragons?"

"No, why should I be?" the Princess asked.

Toph shrugged slightly, stopping when Detia groaned in protest. "That sun guy said that they would judge you. What it they find you unworthy because of the things you did in the past and eat you or something?"

Azula scoffed lightly. "I admit that I'm surprised that there are Dragons left, and if I were younger, I would be here to hunt them like my father and grandfather before him. But times are different; I've learned a lot since then. For example, the true meaning of Fire Bending. And if worse comes to worse and they do find me unworthy, my daughter will protect me." Then as an afterthought, "You tell anyone I said that and I will hunt you down and kill you slowly."

Toph chuckled lightly. "Your secret's safe with me." A mutual silence fell between them for a good while. Azula watched her niece and nephew race each other up the mountain, their small flames still visible. "You wanna cheat and get up this mountain faster? At least to catch up to those two?"

Azula stopped and didn't even need to think about it before saying, "Yes."

The sudden answer made Toph laugh and hand her headband to Azula. "Hold this."

The princess took the headband and watched as Toph took a steady stance with Detia still balanced on her shoulders. With a few movements of her hands, the Earth below their feet rose and rushed up the mountain towards the two children. Within seconds, they were stopped beside the two royal children, Ursa with tears in her golden eyes as Lu Ten tried to comfort her. "What happened?" Azula asked, even though she didn't really care.

Ursa ran to Azula, wrapping her arms around her aunt's leg. "I tripped and my fire went out," she cried.

Azula produced a small fire in her hand, making sure it wasn't her customary blue before offering it to her niece. "Here you can have mine."

"Really?" Ursa asked, sniffing. "But don't you need it?"

"No," Azula answered, carefully handing the flame to her five year old niece, who had just started her fire bending training not two months ago. She held it like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"Thank you Aunt Azula! You're the greatest!" the little girl exclaimed, hugging her aunt before turning and sticking her tongue out to her brother.

Lu Ten only rolled his eyes and stepped up onto the makeshift platform. "Is Detia okay?" he asked, noticing his cousin on Toph's shoulders.

"She's fine, just sleeping," Toph answered. "Is everyone ready to get to the top of this mountain?"

"Yeah!" the siblings exclaimed in unison, Ursa sitting down to protect her fire from the wind produced by their ascent.

Detia woke, wincing at the amount of new minds she felt and quickly blocked as many as she could. 'What's going on?' she asked, grabbing her family's attention as she placed a hand to her temple.

"We're here," Ursa announced in wonder.

Detia straightened and looked at all the members of the Sun Warrior tribe. They sat or stood in a circle in front of a large staircase that led to a single bridge, which connected the two mountains on either side. Some of the Sun Warriors were using fire bending to create circles, a mediocre ability in both Detia and Azula's opinion. But the tone of the area was all very intimidating. "There are two Dragons," Toph announced quietly, setting Detia on the ground beside her mother. "Man, they are huge."

"If there are two Dragons, then only two of us should go at a time." Lu Ten announced, holding his fire steady.

"You two go first," Azula said, pushing her niece and nephew towards the staircase. The Sun Warrior chief came over to them, smiling at the young Fire Benders before turning to the others. In this time, Detia had created her own 'fire', like Azula had done. He opened his mouth to speak but Azula beat him to it. "The younger ones will go first."

He nodded; looking at the blue fire in her hands and the white fire in Detia's but didn't comment on it. He honestly didn't know what to think about the different colored flames. No one in his tribe was able to create any colors other than yellow, red, orange, and variations of those. Azula and Toph smirked when Detia let them in on his thoughts. Ursa and Lu Ten groaned as they approached the stairs and started to ascend. "Why are there so many stairs?" Ursa complained when they were halfway up.

"Shh!" Lu Ten scolded. "I don't know, there just are."

"I hate stairs," Ursa groaned again, making a couple of the Sun Warriors chuckle. "We don't have this many stairs at home."

"Would you be quiet?" her brother complained.

'The general consensus is that The Master will find them worthy because they are young and cute.' Detia informed. 'Our consensus isn't so good.'

"I didn't expect it to be." Azula admitted, crossing her arms but keeping the flame in her hand away from her body and clothing.

The two children finally made it to the top of the stairs. "Now what?" Ursa's voice echoed across the opening.

"I don't know," Lu Ten answered back. "Maybe we face the caves and the Masters will come out." A few more Sun Warriors chuckled.

A low rumbling shook the earth and two monstrous dragons, one blue and one orange but otherwise looking exactly alike, emerged from the caves. Their flapping wings sending gusts of wind towards the people below. For a second, the dragons looked almost confused as they looked down at the children. Who, for their credit, looked nothing but amazed. 'They're saying that these are just small children,' Detia informed her mother and Toph. 'But their ancestors did horrible things to dragon kind,' Detia paused when The Masters started to circle each other. 'They've decided that the two are worthy. Funny, they both look male.'

"Are these two Dragons male?" Azula asked the Chief after Detia finished speaking.

"Yes, why do you ask?" the Chief questioned and Azula shrugged.

"No reason."

In an impressive show of Fire Bending, the two Dragons shot fire into the air, creating a small tornado of fire around the children. The Sun Warrior Chief motioned for Azula and Detia to step forward as the show died down. The Masters stopped and looked at the two who stood at the base of the stairs. It almost frightened Azula, almost. "Did you see that!" Lu Ten's voice carried as he rushed down the stairs, closely followed by Ursa. "That was amazing! Hey what are you staring at?"

"Go to Toph," Azula ordered, wiping the smile from his face.

He took his sister's hand and pulled her to where Toph stood about ten feet away. 'They can't judge us.' Detia said, dropping her hands to her side and eliminating the small lighting in her hands.

"Why?" Azula questioned, knowing her voice carried.

'They don't have the power,' the girl informed. 'Or something. I didn't really understand what that last part was.'

The Masters lifted their heads and let loose a fearsome roar. "What are they doing?" Azula asked, her hands over her ears.

'Calling someone who can judge us,' Detia answered, covering her ears just like her mother.

The sound stopped suddenly, and the Dragons rushed back into their caves, confusing all but two (Azula and Detia) of the people who were there to witness it. In the distance, thick black smoke billowed from a long since dormant volcano. Again, the Earth shook, but this time more violently. 'Run,' was Detia's only warning as she turned and took off towards Toph. 'Protect them,' she ordered the Earth Bender as her mother easily caught up with her. Not that Toph needed to be told, for she had already set up a barrier.

An explosion echoed through the valley as molten rock spewed from the volcano, shooting hundreds of feet into the air in an arc towards them. Two clawed bird feet swooped down and grabbed the princess by the shoulders, lifting her off the ground. Without even thinking about what could have possibly grabbed her, Azula grabbed her daughter's hand. The impact from the molten rock sent a shockwave in all directions, causing the creature who grabbed Azula to lose its grip and drop its passengers. Azula hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs, but that didn't stop her from quickly rolling over to block her daughter, who was safely cradled to her chest, from the super-heated air that flowed over them. She could feel the metal of her armor start to melt against her tunic, glad that she decided to wear it. Luckily Toph came to her rescue, creating a barrier to block the heat and pulling the earth they were laying on towards her.

"Are you alright?" Toph asked the instant Azula and Detia were safe behind the barrier.

"Fine," Azula lied as she quickly tossed her armor off her body, knowing that a few of her ribs were bruised and her back probably had minor burns. Toph nodded in understanding. "Detia are you okay?" Azula asked. Detia looked up at her mother, her golden eyes glossed over with unshed tears. "Detia?" the princess asked worriedly.

'Where's Thunder?' the little girl asked as a single tear escaped its prison.

'Here,' the still young masculine voice answered as a small wind blew behind them.

Thunder in all his ten foot glory nestled behind the barrier, adding strength to it with his power. He opened one slightly charred yellow wing as Detia rushed to him, hugging him tight. 'That was stupid,' she chided lightly, still hugging him.

He chuckled. 'As long as you are not hurt, I'm okay with that.'

"Good boy," Azula replied, forcing back a wince as she stood and patted his beak. "What the hell is going on out there?" the princess yelled.

"I don't know," Toph answered trying to feel out what was going on.

But there was so much going on that she couldn't feel anything. "Where did everyone go?" Azula inquired, not that she really cared.

"Got smart and ran away," Toph answered, grunting as she kept the barrier up. "They took Lu Ten and Ursa with them," she paused. "Don't worry. They're making it back to the Air Balloon as we speak."

'Shouldn't we do the same?' Detia asked.

"We can't." Toph said simply. "The Earth is too hot to walk on. The only reason why we aren't burned to a crisp now is because of the barrier and my awesome earth bending abilities."

"Shit," Azula cursed. "And Thunder can't carry all of us."

"Yep, looks like we'll just have to wait it out," Toph announced.

"Will you last that long?" the Princess inquired, sitting back down.

Before Toph could answer Detia's light cry of 'Oh no!' drew their attention.

"What? Is everything okay?" was Azula's hurried, almost panicked, reaction.

'The gem,' the little girl said, rummaging through her bag. 'I lost it.'

"You dropped it," Toph replied. "I can feel it out there. It seems to be okay. And to answer your question Azula: Yes, yes I can."

She dropped the barrier at that moment and nothing happened. Where the staircase once stood, a large crater of lava took its place, the bridge connecting the two caves shattered to nothing. Detia spotted the gem lying halfway buried in steaming rock not five feet away from her, but before she could rush out there to retrieve it, Toph bent her hands and pulled it towards them. The girl smiled as she pulled the gem from its temporary case, holding it like it was fragile. Azula only watched with a half-smile at her child's smiling face, oh so glad that her little monster was okay. Ty Lee would have killed her had something happened.

The princess turned back to the small lake of lava and gasped before she could stop herself at the humanoid form that stood in the middle, completely covered in molten rock. Instantly, the rock on the form hardened to the deep black of cooled lava and started to flake off. The first of the flakes revealed deep red eyes, the pupils slitting into a thin diamonds not unlike the dragons' eyes. "What in the…" was Azula's only remark as the black continued to flake off, revealing a toned male torso the color of mocha. The dark, cold volcanic rock left the old symbol for Fire on his right bicep.

A fire ignited in long, flowing, multicolored hues, though it was mostly the brighter colors of red, orange, and yellow, from the person…creature's head. The fire seemed to freeze and shift to hair, taking on a silky texture but keeping its multitude of colors and length and even the way it seemed to flow. The creature took one step, shattering the rock around his feet, revealing the ends of the long pants he wore. In the end, he appeared to be a tanner, buffer Zuko without the scar and with thick flaming red hair and long thin red whiskers and goatee, which made him look even more like a dragon. He took another step and the rest of the rock fell from him, burning instantly in the lava lake.

Azula sighed when she saw that he was semi-decent. True he wasn't wearing a shirt but Detia had seen men without shirts on before. She just wasn't ready to have 'the talk' with her seven-year-old daughter. In fact if she could have her way, Ty Lee would be the one explaining all of…that to their child, and she wouldn't even have to be present. Her thoughts were drawn to the Earth Bender when Toph said one name, "Agni."

The creature, Agni it seemed, said something in a language Azula did not understand, from his tone (and the smirk) it seemed to be some kind of sarcastic remark. Toph grit her teeth and yelled back in the same language that Azula didn't know. Detia however, understood every word that was being spoken, from the insult Agni had thrown Toph about her appearance, which Toph ignored, to Toph yelling at him for his over dramatic entrance, saying that he could have hurt someone. "They're only humans," was his smartass remark, knowing full well that it would grate Toph's nerves even if he didn't believe the words himself.

Toph clamped her eyes shut and bit down on her tongue to try to calm herself. "Not all of us are human," Toph intoned, anger in every ounce of her voice.

He smirked and patted his chin slightly. "I suppose you are a little more than human, Terren. But only a little. You always were a pathetic excuse for a…"

A rock slammed into his bare chest, sending him a few feet back and effectively shutting him up. He chuckled, as if that was his intention all along as he threw the rock to the ground. Small trails of smoke billowed from his nose as he blew fire at the Earth Bender, which she blocked easily as she gained on him, side stepping whenever he would do it again. And though he missed, he still smiled. The clash of the two caused the earth to rumble in way Azula had never felt before, as if the very core of the planet was shuddering. Instinctively, the princess grabbed her daughter and pulled her close to her, to protect her offspring. Thunder did his part as protector by wrapping his large wings around the pair partially blocking their view of the fight. Not that they could see a lot of it considering the hot, blinding light Agni would produce whenever he attacked.

The Earth cracked and shifted under their feet as its structure changed dramatically. Detia could only catch snippets of the conversation between the two fighters. The novelty of the fight seemed to have worn off as Agni's tone was cold and serious when he said, "You're on my turf, Terren."

Why everyone kept calling Toph 'Terren' Detia didn't know, but it suited the Earth Bender in her opinion. What Toph said to counter his remark was muffled but furious. All Detia caught was, "…gave you" and "… take it back."

Agni said two words after Toph's remark that made Detia truly worry. "Prove it."

And the Earth shook violently, large rocks crumbing to ash as the island started to sink. Detia pulled away from her mother's death grip, pushed the gem into Azula's arms, and ran past Thunder's wing towards the mess. "Detia!" Azula called, attempting to catch her daughter's arm, but the girl was too fast and was out of her reach in seconds.

'Protect her!' Detia's voice commanded silently, and Thunder's wings closed around Azula.

The princess held the gem protectively, hoping and praying that her daughter knew what she was doing, that she wasn't hurt or worse. With Thunder's thick, heavy wings wrapped around her, she couldn't even see what was going on, what was happening. For the first time in a very long time, Azula was afraid and not even for herself. She honestly didn't know what would happen to her if Detia were to get seriously injured or die. And Ty Lee, what would happen to Ty Lee? The affectionate acrobat wouldn't survive such a brutal attack against her soul. The gem in her hands started to pulse lightly, but she didn't notice seeing as she was far too busy worrying about her daughter.

Detia blocked her eyes, fighting to stay standing, as she watched the two fighting, coming to physical blows. Both looked worse for wear. Toph was burned on several parts of her exposed body, her clothes ripped and torn till they barely covered her form. Agni was no better off, his long pants now nothing more than torn shorts with large gashes across his arms, legs, and chest. They were still yelling at each other, but Detia didn't bother to hear what they were saying as the island sank deeper into the ocean. The sky above, she noticed, was dark with volcanic ash, blocking out the sun – though it didn't affect Agni's bending at all.

A small shard of rock was lifted into the air with many other larger rocks, but before Toph could finish her attack, a ball of fire was thrown her way, exploding when it hit a wall Toph created and sending the rocks in the air flying. That small shard caught Detia's cheek, creating a shallow cut that probably wouldn't even need stitches, but it hurt and bled, and made her angry. In retrospect, she realized that such a small cut did not warrant the anger she felt. But at the moment that didn't matter. Her mind was tired from all the people she was subjected to, the island was sinking, and now she was injured. Yeah, that was not working for her.

'Enough!' she yelled mentally, though it echoed across the opening as if she had spoken aloud, as a large burst of lighting shot through the dense volcanic ash, hitting the ground between the two fighting so hard that it sent them fly in opposite directions.

Both hit the base of the Dragons' lairs, sliding to the ground harmlessly. In that instant, the sky cleared and the Earth stopped sinking. "Shit, I forgot how much that hurt," Agni said, rubbing his head and looking up into the angry golden eyes of the small lighting bender.

When Thunder opened his wings the sight Azula saw was almost comical. There, sitting in the ash and broken earth on their knees with their heads bowed in embarrassment were two beaten, battered, burned, bleeding and all around tore up adults, who couldn't have looked more ashamed if they tried, being scolded by a seven-year-old girl – who looked unharmed aside from the cut on her face. Azula even chuckled but only because she was so relieved, and the situation was so bizarre. "I think I need to go home and relax for a week, forget this ever happened," she told the thunderbird, who nodded eagerly. "Are you alright?" she asked him and he nodded again, showing her where his wings had been burned and cut but were quickly healing. "Good," she sighed, hearing a crunch as she tried to stand. Under her hands lay the broken pieces of the golden gem. "Shit," she cursed for the second time and hung her head.

She couldn't be too angry with herself though, not after what she had just gone through. It was just some old artifact anyways, what did it matter? A feeling as if something was crawling up her back made her jump and reach behind her to try and grab whatever had the audacity to crawl on her. Thunder looked at her like she was crazy. His eyes lit up as he leaned down, taking the snake like creature into his beak and pulling it off of his mistress' mother. "Thanks," she said as she turned, coming face to face with small, innocent red eyes.

The creature yelped like a bird, flapping its golden wings as its twenty claws (five on each foot) clawed at Thunder's impenetrable beak. Thunder let the creature down by simply letting it slide out of his beak. The thunderbird made a sound like he was laughing when the dragon landed with a thud. The creature, which was about the length of Azula's leg, turned it's scaly head towards the bird and stuck its long, snake-like tongue out at Thunder and then looked back at Azula – who was dumbstruck. "Uh…" was the only thing she managed to say before it wrapped around her torso, laying its head on her shoulder and purring softly. "Well, okay…?" she looked to Thunder. "This is a baby Dragon, isn't it?" He nodded. "Okay, just making sure."

'Her name is Sunstone.' Detia's voice said, surprising Azula enough to make her jump.

Azula ignored her daughter's voice, looking up to see the girl beside her, with Toph limping up behind. Within seconds, Detia was in Azula's arms being forced to sit on the ground. "Don't you ever, ever do something like that again! Do you hear me?" the Princess scolded harshly, though the fact that she was still gripping onto her daughter like she would disappear if she let go dulled the effect a little – well, a lot.

'I'm sorry,' Detia said. 'But the island was sinking. I had to do something.'

Azula patted her daughter's hair, pushing some of the ash out of it. "I don't care if the world's about to explode. You do not do that."

'Okay,' Detia chuckled, 'I won't. I'm sorry I scared you.'

"I wasn't scared." Azula denied quickly, releasing her daughter to stand unsteadily and taking a minute to steady herself. "I was terrified. Truly terrified. Never do that again," she reiterated, the dragon on her shoulder squawking in agreement. "See, the Dragon agrees."

'Can we just go home?' Detia asked, knowing that her mother had been through a lot in the past couple of hours and that's why she was acting so out of character.

"That's the best idea I've heard all day," Azula agreed, eagerly starting her descent down the mountain, ignoring the pain her bruised ribs caused her.

Everyone else followed, including Thunder. Detia caught up to her mother and grabbed her hand, causing Azula to look down and squeeze that small hand in hers. Toph caught up after Thunder, and Azula looked at them as well. After about twenty minutes of walking, Azula finally asked, "Why aren't you using your bending to go down faster? You look like you're having a hard time walking."

"Shut up," was Toph's snappy remark.

'She's being punished,' Detia answered. 'She's not allowed to use her bending for the rest of the day.'

"You can do that?" Azula asked, truly surprised and amazed at her daughter's hidden ability.

"Yes, she can," Toph answered with a sigh. "It's her job to keep us in line. I'm lucky I only have to deal without my ability for the rest of the day. And let's face it; once we get back to the ship, I'm getting looked at and going to sleep. I'm just glad I didn't get what Agni got."

"Who is this 'us'? And what exactly happened?" Azula questioned.

Toph remained silent. 'The Dragons called Agni to judge us, well you. He saw Toph, recognized her for what she was, and started a fight.'

"Which was why his punishment is worse than mine. He still gets to keep his bending but his wounds will heal at the rate of a normal human. And I fucked that bastard up!" Toph boasted, her language course because of her exhaustion.

"Looks like he did a number on you too," Azula remarked, purposefully knocking Toph's almost good mood. She turned to Thunder when he spread his wings lightly and made a chuckling noise. "Why aren't you flying?"

'His wings were damaged too severely to fly,' Detia informed. 'Well, he thinks he still can, but I told him not to try it.' He squawked, his voice still song-bird like, and hit Detia on the top of her head with his beak. 'Ow!' she complained, grabbing her head. 'It's for the best and you know it. Stop being so stubborn!'

He turned his head away from her. "So this dragon," Azula decided to change the subject, petting the dragon on the head. "It has an odd name. Most of the Dragons I've heard about don't have names like Sunstone."

"That's not true," Toph answered, holding her ribs as she limped. "Back in the day, Dragons had names like Sunstone and Moonshine depending on the color of their shell or whatever. It wasn't until the Sun Warriors died out that the Dragons took on more human names."

"I see." Azula said, looking at Sunstone's sleeping reptilian face. "How did I manage to make it hatch?"

'Her,' Detia corrected.

"Because you are female," Toph interjected. Azula's dark eyebrow lifted. "Look, I don't know how that whole thing works; I'm not a Fire Bender. Agni said something about you being female then I stopped listening to him."

Detia rolled her eyes as Azula chuckled. 'The reason you were able to hatch the egg is partially because you are a woman. One of the other reasons is the same reason why the Dragons couldn't judge you: as a Fire Bender you are as powerful as they are.' Azula's lips turned up in a smug smirk, already imagining the things she could boast about to her pathetic older brother. 'The third is that you showed it the capacity for great love. You can leave that part out when you're boasting to Uncle Zuko though."

That last part made Azula chuckle and pull her child against her side, even if it hurt. "So, am I this thing's mother?"

'No,' Detia answered. 'You are her companion, much like her master. She'll listen and obey every word you say, unless it's against her better judgment. Then she'll tell you what she thinks, and you can argue about it.'

"Like you and Thunder."

'Exactly like me and Thunder.'

"And to think, fifteen or so years ago I would have killed this little thing for glory." It purred like a kitten as she rubbed its mane.

The walk back to the balloon was slow, but they managed to get there before the sun went down. The instant they walked through the doors, Ty Lee was on her wife like white on rice. "What happened! There was all this stuff going on, the earth was shaking and sinking into the water and fire and smoke filled the air and the volcano, we could see and feel it all the way back here, and you and Detia and Toph were trapped up on that mountain where everything was happening." The acrobat rambled worriedly, the hug she had her wife in was unbearable against her bruised ribs and burned back. Ty Lee completely ignored the golden creature that jumped to Thunder once she saw Ty Lee running to her mate.

"My ribs," Azula managed to choke out. She was used to burns and could handle that pain. "Baby, they're bruised."

Ty Lee's grip slacked instantly, both at the pet name Azula only called her when they were in the privacy of their own room and the fact that her ribs were bruised. Though, it was the pet name that made her stand there in stunned silence. 'Mommy,' Detia called lightly, bringing her mommy back into reality.

"Sweetheart what happened to your face?" Ty Lee asked the instant she noticed the dried blood on her daughter's cheek. "Where is that doctor?"

'I'm fine,' Detia answered as she hugged her mommy. 'It's almost healed now.'

The acrobat easily picked her child up, hugging her close and gently embraced her wife. "I'm so glad you came back. Thank the gods."

"Don't thank them. It's their fault this happened," Azula said pointedly, glaring at the Earth Bender, who stiffened lightly under the glare she couldn't see.

"What?" was Ty Lee's confused response, and then noticed Toph limp her way into the aircraft and directly to the doctor who had just entered the room. "What happened to her?" she asked worriedly.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later." Azula answered, brushing her lips against her wife's lightly, the need clearly visible in her smoldering golden eyes and flaring aura. "I thought I'd never see you again."

'Could you not do this in front of me?' Detia asked, still in her mommy's arms.

Ty Lee chuckled as her cheeks flushed, and she set her child on the ground. "Sorry, sweetheart."

'It's all right; I understand. I do. But it's still gross,' Detia replied sticking her tongue out and scrunching up her face in disgust. 'Kissing, yuck.'

Azula chuckled, pulling Ty Lee flush against her. 'This from a girl who beat two gods in three seconds,' she thought only to her daughter.

'I have skills, yes. But I'm still only seven, and for some reason, kissing does not seem appealing to me. Just eww,' Detia answered back shaking her head a little.

Both her parents chuckled as all of the children with them rushed their daughter, Ezra and Yue getting to her first and tackling her almost to the ground before asking her a million questions. If it hadn't been for Thunder, who was standing behind her, she would have fallen. Ty Lee chuckled again, oh so happy that her family was relatively okay. Her grey eyes caught red, and she gasped loudly, pointing a finger to Sunstone. "What the hell is that?"

Azula laughed at her uncharacteristic use of a cuss word, and she lifted her hand to the dragon. It obediently crawled onto her shoulder. "You remember that gem we found in the ruins?" Ty Lee nodded. "Apparently, it was a dragon egg, and this was the dragon in it. Her name is Sunstone. She's my companion, apparently. Sunstone, this is my mate, Ty Lee." The dragon sniffed at Ty Lee's outstretched hand before licking it in approval.

The acrobat giggled. "Do you think they'll notice that their egg is missing?"

"Who cares?" Azula answered. "We are not coming back here. Now, I need to see that doctor before one of my ribs break. Where did he go?"

Ty Lee only chuckled.

TBC!

A/N: I am so glad I finished this before the holidays ended. :p You guys just have no idea, and I'm fairly pleased with it. So that's a bonus. All types of reviews are welcomed! Tell me what you think. I actually get ideas from flames (as weird as that sounds). It was 7am Christmas Eve when I finished this – so don't mind any grammatical errors that I might have missed (but tell me if there are any major ones).

Oh, by the way, I have no idea if there are rabbit-puppies in the ATLA universe I totally made it up because it sounded cute and weak and a sin to kick, regardless of how easy it would be. :P

So anyway….

Have a great holiday! I know I did! Got my Azula costume and it totally fits like a glove! I'm so wearing it to AWA!


	14. Chapter 14 New

Of Fire

Chapter 14

Ba Sing Se, the Capital of the Earth Kingdom. The great walls, and there were many walls, all decorated in rich earthy colors of greens and browns and yellow had all four children of the Fire Nation's royalty staring out of the open windows of their trolley. It was a joyous occasion: the crowning of a new ruler. But this was the first any of the children had left the safety of the Fire Nation upper class and the new scenery amazed them. Even Detia, who was not easily impressed, set on her knees looking out the window at the sheer vastness of the city. A while back Ty Lee had informed Detia that Azula, along with Mai and herself, had succeeded in breeching Ba Sing Se's inner sanctum and taking over the city. When she was told, Detia was staring at the map of the world and was slightly impressed considering the scale size.

But seeing the city in its grandeur and acknowledging that her mother had taken it over at the ripe old age of fourteen had her more amazed than she had ever been before – excluding the first time she watched her mother create lightning. The lightning bender looked at her mother and smiled, telling her without telling her what she was thinking about. Azula smirked, turning her gaze to the two earth benders moving the cart. Her smirk grew as they tensed. They still remembered what that then fourteen year old had done to their great city and were weary of the Fire Nation Princess.

"It's cold here." Ursa noted as she moved away from the window and into her father's lap.

Zuko chuckled, "Yeah, it's a little cold."

Detia continued looking through the window, mentally noting the difference in temperature. It was the middle of summer in the Fire Nation temperatures were raising to one-hundred degrees in the shade and the royal family would be enjoying the high temperatures in their home on Ember Island. But the Earth Kingdom was higher north and thus colder. It felt like a Fire Nation fall and even though they had dressed in heavier clothing than they normal would this time of year the wind cut through their clothing like a cold knife.

Lu Ten set down in his seat between his parents, getting bored with the scenery, and turned his attention to his aunt. "I heard that you conquered Ba Sing Se during the 100 year war, Aunt Azula." He asked with the innocence of a child, completely ignorant of the Earth Benders shooting him a dirty look.

Aside from the twins, no one else missed the look the Earth Benders were giving him and just because she was who she was Azula answered. "Yes I did with the help of Ty Lee and your mother, of course."

"It was all your planning, Azula." Mai surprising intoned before Ty Lee could say anything.

Excited, Lu Ten's eyes widened, "Wow, how did you manage that? I read in history class that no one else had ever managed it."

Azula smirked, lend back slightly and crossed her arms. "Now that is my secret."

"Aw, come on. Please Aunt Azula." Lu Ten whined lightly.

The Fire Nation Princess' expression lessened somewhat, only enough for Ty Lee to notice, at her nephew's whine. She really hated it when children whined. However, before she could say anything Detia jumped down from her window, walked over to her cousin with a rolled up scroll in her hand and hit him square in the forehead with it. He fell back dramatically as Ursa broke out in a peel of laughter, Ezra smiling as well. The adults tried to stop themselves from laughing, some doing a better job at it than others. Mai for example managed to keep her expression completely neutral whereas Azula was chuckling lightly. "What was that for?" Lu Ten yelled as he rubbed his head.

'You were whining.' Detia answered, returning to her seat between Ty Lee and Azula, 'It was irritating.'

Ty Lee pulled her daughter a bit closer, in a gesture of complete love, as she tried to suppress her own laugh. In turn, Azula look her eight-year olds hand in the same gesture except with a bit a pride thrown in there. Lu Ten huffed childishly and reasoned, "You could have just told me to stop. You didn't need to hit me."

Detia's golden eyes rolled, 'You wouldn't have listened, you never do. Because I'm 'younger''

"You're lucky you're younger than me." He remarked indignantly.

'You're just saying that because you can't come up with something better to say.' Detia replied with a slight smirk.

For his response Lu Ten stuck his tongue out at his cousin huffed again. "That's mature." Ezra commented, reinforcing her sister's giggles.

Lu Ten sighed heavily then mumbled, "I wish I had a brother."

Mai smiled at her son and pulled him into a hug. "It wouldn't have changed anything if they had been boys."

The boy smiled brightly as he hugged his mother back. The trolley jerked to a stop as a loud song-bird like call echoed across the vast opening that made up the Earth Kingdom Palace's entrance. The sound shortly followed by a smaller meow-like roar. "We're here." Ezra remarked lightly.

Lu Ten and Ursa jumped up instantly, barely waiting for the trolley to come to a complete stop before jumping off. Their united voices echoing, "Uncle Iroh!" had Ezra's steps quicken.

Azula, Ty Lee, and Detia were the last off the trolley, coming to a scene of the rest of their family hugging Iroh. 'Aren't you going to say hello to your great uncle?' Thunder's young male voice questioned as the large yellow bird dropped down from the top of the trolley, followed by the golden dragon.

Sunstone cawed in agreement as her front claws latched onto one of Azula's shoulders and her back claws latched onto the opposite shoulder – acting much like a large golden scarf. "Don't you start." Azula warned the dragon sternly as she rubbed the hard scaled nose.

'I second that.' Detia remarked, thumping Thunder's beak enough to make him jerk back.

"Oh! You finally made it." Toph's voice boomed, the only warning she gave before Detia found herself six feet in the air, holding onto black hair almost franticly.

'Toph!' Detia yelled mentally before she settled, finding herself on Toph's shoulders with her fingers digging into Toph's eyes.

Toph's answer was laced with annoyance, "Those are my eyes."

'It's okay, you don't need them.' Was Detia's response once she calmed and gained her bearings.

"Toph," Iroh's surprised voice called. "Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for your coronation?"

Toph scowled, the annoyance in her aura flaring. "It's tomorrow, Iroh. There's only so much primping I can handle. Ask Katara, the last time someone tried to clean my feet did not end well."

Iroh chuckled and placed his niece on the ground. "Is everyone else here?" Zuko inquired, talking to his uncle.

'You really should have clean feet when they announce you queen.' Detia remarked offhandedly, drawing Toph's attention from Zuko and Iroh to the child on her shoulders.

The Earth Bender rolled her eyes. "My feet are fine the way they are. I'll soak them for a while before the ceremony."

'Yeah, cause that'll get all those years of dirt and mud off your feet.' Detia observed sarcastically. 'I bet someone could tell everywhere you've been if they'd studied the dirt on your feet.'

Toph growled lightly, more amused than angry because what the lightning bender said was probably true, but she could still act like it upset her. "You're lucky your mother's right beside us or else I might have to get mean."

'I don't think my mother would mind much.' Detia offered.

"I wasn't talking about Azula." Toph clarified. "I can handle another bender. It's Ty Lee that scares the shit out of me." Ty Lee giggled at the confession. "If I threatened you in a just a little way I'm positive Ty Lee would have me on the ground in like less than three seconds. I've seen her in action – and don't get smart with me" she pointed a finger in the lightning bender's face, stopping her from refuting that Toph saw her in action. "You know what I mean."

Detia chuckled. 'All playfulness aside, I could probably help you get your feet clean.'

"For real?" Toph asked skeptically.

Detia thought for a second before nodding. 'It wouldn't be that hard, wouldn't even take that long.'

"Detia!" Yue's voice echoed across the open ground as the young Earth Bender rushed down the stairs followed shortly by her brother.

Instantly, Detia found her feet on the ground and a light shove droving her towards Yue. The little princess only had time to look back for a second to see the smirk playing on Toph's lips before she was tackled in a tight hug by Yue. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Toph address her parents and the three walked off. "It seems like it's been forever." Yue was saying, her grip having yet to loosen. "I've missed you so much." That statement confused Detia more than anything. "So, what have you been up to, anything interesting? I've been here mostly, learning to be a better Earth Bender. What about you."

Yue stopped talking suddenly as just as suddenly Detia could breathe again but only for a second before the bone crushing embrace returned – this time by her younger cousin. Ezra loosened her grip slightly, just enough so that Detia could breathe properly. With this chance of being relatively free Detia looked at her surroundings, noticing Lu Ten, Ursa and Atreyu laughing uncontrollably to her left, Iroh, Zuko and Mai talking amongst themselves not far from the three children and Yue on the ground in front of her. How she got there Detia could only guess. And given the death glare coming from Yue's sky blue eyes and the equally menacing aura Ezra was giving off her guess was more than likely right.

Not one word was spoken between Ezra and Yue as their very wills seemed to battle. Detia rolled her eyes and offered her hand to Yue, while keeping Ezra pressed against her with the other hand. The tension evaporated instantly, as Detia knew it would. Yue took the offered hand and pulled herself up, not wasting a second to reclaim Detia in another hug. Though the second hug was much shorter. "Come on." Yue smiled as she tugged Detia's hand. "I'll show you around the palace. It's pretty nice inside. Only the finest stuff has been put out in preparation of the ceremony."

Thunder cawed lightly, 'You can explore.' Detia told him as she was dragged away.

~x~

The palace decorations were everything Azula believed it would be, though she thought it was somewhat pointless considering Toph was blind. "I don't remember seeing half this stuff the last time we were here." Ty Lee remarked, clearly amazed by the beautiful, hand stitched tapestries and rugs and the dark green hand-painted vases and pots that adored the palace like spots on a hippocow

Toph chuckled, "I know, the staff replaced just about everything in the palace."

"So are you excited about becoming Queen?" Ty Lee questioned as her wife continued to examine the palace.

The Master Earth Bender shrugged, "Yeah. I think it's a lot of unnesicary work, but that's just me. Apparently, the Earth Kingdom loves their paperwork." She answered with a 'what can you do' shrug. "But anyways, as requested, we're going to go over the security detail during the celebration and your stay here. Just so you know I understand why you asked this. There are a few people left who would like to see you and your family killed."

"Well, that saves me the time of explaining myself." Azula commented as she laced Ty Lee's arm around her own.

Toph nodded, "In that past, before Bumi took over, there was the Counsel of Five." Azula nodded that she remembered. "There still is a Counsel of Five but their power has lessened greatly since Bumi took over, I plan to continue that. However, the Counsel has suggested that our best soldiers be placed around the palace at certain intervals and they will rotate in shifts." Toph chuckled. "If nothing else there are a large number of soldiers so that might deter anyone trying anything." There was a slight pause. "General How will be joining us shortly to give you a full report. I'll be here to make sure neither of you tries anything." she turned abruptly to Azula. "He's still soar about that coup during the war. But either way, don't make my job harder. So don't be needlessly cruel and malicious."

"What you're really saying is: don't be like myself." Azula translated.

Toph crossed her arms over her chest and huffed lightly. "Exactly. I would hate for Detia to leave the ceremony before it even started."

"What does that make us, just added bystanders?" Ty Lee questioned good naturedly.

Toph shrugged as she turned back around and continued her forward, "Pretty much." There was a light pinch on her shoulder and her entire left arm went numb. "Ty Lee! Damn it."

Azula burst into laughter when it registered what her wife had done. The Fire bender kissed her love soundly for the thirty seconds it took for Toph to regain feeling in her arm. With Ty Lee completely breathless, Azula pulled away and turned to a less than amused Toph. "It could have been much worse." Azula remarked, pulling a dazed Ty Lee past the Earth Bender in the direction of where she remembered the war room was.

Toph caught up quickly and warned, "I would suggest that you don't do that again, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee giggled, "I don't know. If I get kissed like that I might just have to do it more often."

Azula smirked and Toph rolled her eyes. "Seriously, if you do it again in front of anyone they might see it as an assassination attempt and I would hate to lose half my army and your daughter's friendship when she breaks you out of prison."

Azula's expression softened slightly, the aura she gave off making Toph uneasy. "Aw Toph, come now. It'd be more than only half your army. Whose daughter do you think she is?"

"Right," The future Earth Queen deadpanned, "Anyways, General How is just around the corner."

Azula nodded and followed Toph around the corner. The first person she saw was the back of General How before he turned on the approach of his future Queen. He hadn't changed a bit since she last saw him many years ago, well aside from the lines around the corner of his lips and eyes. His dark eyes hardened at the sight of the Fire Nation Princess and any other day the expression on his clearly Earth Kingdom features would have her ego rising and the smirk on her face would be dominate. But the person standing beside General How garnered all of Azula's attention. "Ah." His voice was deep and full of an emotion mimicking arrogance. "Princess Azula."

"Long Feng." Azula addressed coldly, matching his understated threat with one of her own. Ty Lee watched Long Feng's aura flare with pure hatred and Azula's mimic in lesser tones of mere dislike. "What is he doing here?" Azula inquired.

"I'm a changed man." Long Feng remarked with a dramatic hand to his chest, "working off my debt to society." Toph rolled her eyes the exact moment Azula did and Long Feng's aura darkened to rage though his physical expression remained pleasant. "We all get what's coming to us eventually, Princess." The slight lifting of the corner of his mouth unnerved Azula, though that didn't show in her facial expression. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to."

The instant he was out of ear shot Toph remarked with a hard pat on Azula's back, "He's harmless, don't let him get to you."

"You should be careful of him, Toph. He's loyal to himself only." Azula warned, ignoring the sting from her back.

"We know." General How replied, "But you really have nothing to worry about when it concerns him." The general looked at his future queen, who nodded in affirmative. "Now, let's go through the palace, I'll show you the security measures we've taken to ensure the safety of you and your family and the other guests."

~x~

"And this is the garden." Yue intoned happily, as she gestured to the large open garden. "As you can imagine there are many other gardens on the palace grounds but this is one where Sifu Toph likes to train."

'She's training you?' Detia inquired, more surprised that the Garden looked pristine and perfect than she was that Toph trained others.

"Yeah, my parents had to pull the 'we're friends' card to convince her." Yue laughed.

Ezra scoffed lightly, still clinging to her cousin. "I can't imagine how she deals with you."

Blue eyes glared daggers at the young royal, who's golden eyes carried a very similar look. 'Uh?' Detia mouthed, they'd been at each other's throats ever since they meet that day.

The sound was enough to draw Yue's attention to the lightning bender. The Earth Bender smiled and tugged Detia's hand as she continued their exploration of the garden. Ezra rolled her eyes but didn't let go of Detia's arm. They continued through the garden and more of the palace until they stopped at another garden. This one was much smaller than the other and while it was mainly open space filled with lush green grass there were more bushes and trees and more importantly a pond. "This pond is reserved for royalty only." Yue explained, smiling mischievously. "Sifu Toph showed it to me a couple of times. It's a good place to relax she says. I wouldn't know, I'm usually not allowed in here." She chuckled. "So be quiet so we don't get caught."

Again dull golden eyes rolled. "We don't have to be quiet; both Detia and myself are royalty." Ezra remarked as Yue led them into the garden.

The Earth Bender didn't even turn to Ezra as the ground below the younger Fire Nation royal shifted, pitching Ezra forward. Had she not been holding onto Detia she would have fallen flat on her face. Golden eyes glared at the Earth Bender's back but she didn't say anything in regards to what happened. 'Are you alright?' Detia asked, a comforting hand falling gently on one of Ezra's.

"I'm okay. I just lost my footing." Ezra answered, aware of the smirk on Yue's face.

A white eyebrow lifted, she knew that Ezra didn't lose her footing. Ezra never lost her footing. She was still thinking of why Ezra would lie to her when Yue flopped down by the pond, motioning for Detia to do the same. Detia set beside her friend and Ezra set beside Detia. For a moment the trio stared into the pond, watching the multi-colored koi swim erratically. Ezra put her hand in the water and almost smiled when one of the koi brushed against it.

Movement caught the little royal's eye and before anyone could blink a knife flew towards Yue, landing only a couple of inches from the Earth Bender's hand. Yue looked in a stunned stupor at the knife protruding from ground before angry blue eyes turned to Ezra. "There was a spider." Ezra answered, the small smirk crossing her lips barely visible.

Yue looked again as she pulled the knife from the ground. Sure enough on the end of the small knife was the eight-legged body of a brown spider. Instead of thanking the young royal, though Yue only glared. "Hey," Toph's voice called sternly, making Yue tense. "I've been looking all over for you."

The master Earth Bender entered the garden as the three children stood. Her tone was clearly for show, the fact that Yue was in the garden meant for Royalty meant nothing to her. In fact she often wondered why Yue didn't go into the 'forbidden' garden more often. She knew that if she was younger and someone told her she couldn't do something she'd do it anyways. 'Where are my parents?' Detia inquired.

"Discussing the security with General How. I got bored so I left." Toph admitted as she stood in front of the Lightning Bender. "Come on, I have something to give you."

'A gift?'

Toph smirked, "Maybe. You'll just have to see."

With a reassuring hand on Detia's back Toph lead the girl out of the garden. And once she was gone Ezra turned to Yue sharply. "I know what you're doing and it won't work. Detia is my best friend."

Blue eyes glared daggers at the young royal. "We'll see. There are just some things you can't do with family."

Golden eyes narrowed, "There is nothing she can do with you that she can't do with me."

Yue smirked before sighing dramatically and placing a hand on Ezra's dark hair. "So young, you'll understand when you're older."

Yue patted her head and left the child in her confusion. The confused expression on Ezra's young face showed clearly and she stood there for a minute trying to figure out what Yue could possibly mean. "What?"

~x~

Detia followed the future Earth Queen down many halls and passed many room until they finally stopped at large double doors. "This is my bed chambers. Don't be too impressed."

A lifted eyebrow was the only response Toph got, not that she could see it, as the Earth Bender opened the doors to the room. The first thing Detia noticed was the general disarray of things. The sheets on the bed, dark green in color with yellow fringe, were tangled and bunched up in the middle of the foot of the bed. 'Does no one clean in here?' Detia inquired, also noting the various clothes strewn around the floor. Toph shrugged as she went over to her vanity. 'Why do you even have a vanity?'

"Look," Toph started, clearly amused by the questioning. "This room came with all this stuff. I had nothing to do with it."

'And the mess?' Detia inquired, the smirk apparent in her voice.

Toph chuckled as she opened a drawer and pulled out a green velvet box. "Well, the mess was all me. Don't usually come in here except to sleep so the servants don't clean till right before I go to bed." She turned to the lightning bender, pushing the box in her direction.

Detia took the offered box gingerly but didn't open it. If she didn't know better she'd think the box had a ring in it and the first thing her mind went to was marriage. Though, she quickly chided herself for such thoughts. It was only a Lightning bender custom to give your partner a ring, no other nation did it. The only nation that came close was the Water Tribe with their necklaces.

Toph rolled her eyes before taking the box back and opening it. "It's just a tile. I noticed you play Pai Sho a lot."

Gently, Detia picked up the smooth white tile, her hawk eyes examining every crevice in sheer awe. The tile was a smooth jadeite stone, as green as the crisp grass of the garden outside. In the exact center was the Pai Sho symbol for the White Jade, made of smooth white nephrite – softer than the jade around it. It was one smooth tile, the nephrite and jadeite merging together as if they were one single stone. To the naked eye that's the way the stone appeared, as if it were one but Detia could feel the softer Nephrite with her fingers. Golden eyes looked up into pale green ones, only a truly powerful Earth bender could create such a magnificent stone. 'You made this…for me?'

Toph shrugged lightly, "Yeah, I noticed how you favor the White Jade. Like Iroh favors his White Lotus. I never got into Pai Sho but the White Jade has always been my favorite too. But it's just a thank you gift for teaching me to read." Toph clarified.

The lightning bender clasped the stone in both hands, bringing it protectively to her chest. 'Thank you.'

Toph smiled a true smile, causing a sharpness in the lightning bender's chest that Detia did not understand. "No problem. It's the least I could do. Well, that and ask that you sit on the stage next to Bumi during my inauguration."

'What!' Toph chuckled at the honest surprise in the lightning bender's voice.

A calloused hand landed softly on Detia's white crown of hair, "You are an integral part of me becoming Queen. You deserve that spot. And let's face it; if you're up on the stage with me I won't need any guards. Between you, me, Bumi, and your parents – who'll probably find a way onto that stage faster than lightning if something happened to you – no one would dare try anything."

Detia chuckled and nodded, 'True. Okay, I'll do it.'

Toph thumped Detia on the back, causing the young royal to wince. "That's what I like to hear."

TBC.


	15. Chapter 15

Of Fire

Chapter 15

Ember Island, the number one vacation spot in the whole world. The white sand beaches and clear sparkling ocean water couldn't be beat. At least, that's what the brochure Detia held said. The countless restaurants and activities, including the plays the Ember Island Players would be performing and when, were all listed on the back of the thin sheet of folded paper. Lu Ten had excitedly handed the brochure to Detia when they boarded the boat, pointing out the fire-volley tournament and suggesting they enter. With no lack of apathy, she pointed out that the tournament was for teens and adults, not children.

Stubbornly, he huffed and took another brochure from a pocket in his clothes. She took it, her eyes catching the word junior before any other. "I've already signed us up!" he announced excitedly before Ursa ran up behind him and yelled 'tag'.

Without hesitation he ran after his sister, who dodged his hand easily. For a second, Detia watched her cousins play before turning back around and watching the sun glisten off the ocean. They came here on vacation every summer, except for last year when they went to Ba Sing Se for Toph's coronation. This year wouldn't be any different than the others. And as long as her mommy and/or Ezra didn't force them to go see the Ember Island Players, this vacation would be a good one, just like the others. "What's this?" Azula asked as she snatched the brochure from her child, leaning against the railing as she read through the small brochure, standing close enough to her child that their arms were touching.

For the past two years, starting after the whole fight with Agni, Azula had been uncharacteristically affectionate to her wife and daughter. Not that either of them minded. This affection did not extend to anyone else, mind you. The Fire Nation Princess was still the cold, calculating woman she always had been to everyone else. That hadn't changed. But the public displays of affection did change. Before the fight, public displays of affection were off limits, against Azula's better upbringing. Afterwards, those limits vanished, and if Azula felt like setting her wife on fire with deliberate touches and whispered words while in the middle of a formal meeting, she would – and did. Zuko actually chastised her for it, once, but she only brushed it off and did it again just to get on his nerves.

The only down side to this affection was that Detia, who seemed to always be in-tune with her parent's thoughts, had seen more than enough of what her parents do behind closed doors. It took everything she had to sever that connection to her parents, if only temporarily. Though, it was good practice for now. Looking at Azula one couldn't tell that just a couple of minutes ago she and Ty Lee were down in the hull of the ship doing things that Detia would rather not think about. The little lightning bender had to hand it to her mother for looking as if she had just come from a spa with her hair in a perfect topknot, no strand out of place. The red tank-top like top that covered the permanent burn scars on her back and baggy red pants seemed to have just come from being pressed, not a wrinkle in the entire get up.

Ty Lee, however, wasn't nearly as deceptive. The acrobat's long brown hair was down and while this wasn't unusual on their trips to Ember Island the pink ribbon that still clung to a strand of her hair was. If that and the fact that her clothes were all disheveled and crinkled didn't give away what they were doing then the satisfied glow that emitted from the brown-haired woman in thick heavy waves was. Detia only rolled her eyes and sighed, catching the smirk on her mother's face that told her the older woman knew exactly what she was thinking about. Ty Lee walked up to her wife and child, a lazy smile plastered on her lips as she laid her head on Azula's shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist, unconsciously being careful of Azula's long healed back.

When the wind blew only a little, the light pink burn scars on her mother's back from the armor she wore during the fight with Agni became visible. The princess had let the doctor heal the burns and her ribs, but the old man informed her that, while they would be barely visible, he couldn't make them go away totally. Azula wasn't too concerned about it, seeing as her back was covered most of the time. It also helped that Ty Lee had informed her that the burns were a sign of how strong she was - and a major turn on. To prove it, the couple had spent much of the two weeks that Azula blackmailed the doctor into giving her – because technically she was okay to return to her normal duties after the first couple of days – in their bed. Thankfully, for Detia anyways, they mostly just relaxed and simply lay in bed. Detia wouldn't know what to do if she had actually caught her parents in bed, but she guessed she'd have to burn her eyes out of her skull.

"So, a Fire-Volley tournament. Let me guess, Lu Ten signed you up?" Azula concluded and Detia only nodded.

"That could be fun," Ty Lee offered, pulling the ribbon out of her hair. "Do you get anything if you win?"

'It didn't say. I'm guessing we'll get a small trophy or something,' Detia replied, completely uninterested.

The acrobat nodded, still leaning close to Azula to look at the brochures. "Is that a list of plays the Ember Island Players are performing?"

"No," Azula lied easily, said brochure going up in flames. "I didn't see anything like that, did you Detia?"

The little girl only shook her head in the negative. But Ty Lee wasn't buying it and placed her hands on her hips, giving her family a stern look. "Come on, they aren't that bad."

"You're right, they're terrible," Azula corrected, earning her Ty Lee's sad rabbit-puppy face. The princess groaned – she hated that face – vaguely hearing her daughter chuckle. "We see them every year…"

"We shouldn't break tradition," Ty Lee interrupted.

'We can't anyways,' Detia offered, saving her mother from certain doom. 'The tournament is held on the only day that Players will be playing this weekend.'

It was a total lie. Azula knew because she had read the listing of times before she incinerated the brochure. The Players were scheduled to play over five times this weekend. But by the way Ty Lee sighed in slight disappointment, the acrobat believed her daughter. Azula smiled approvingly at her little monster before turning back to her wife. "Well, that's too bad." The acrobat sighed and perked up a little, moving to lean against her wife again. This time with Azula's hand around her waist. "It'll be good to see you actually participate in a group activity."

Detia only scoffed, she participated in a lot of group activities. At least, in her mind she did. She was aware of every activity that was going on in her school, and sometimes, she did interfere mentally. But seeing as she was still the outcast, it didn't appear as if she did. The young lightning bender turned around, her back leaning against the railing of the boat. Lu Ten was still chasing his sister around the deck, who dodged his attempts to touch her easily while giggling the entire time. Ezra was asleep on her mother's lap, curled up peacefully. The steady rocking of the boat always put her to sleep. Mai and Zuko were sitting beside each other, not talking but words didn't need to be spoken for them to bask in their love. 'We won't lose. I do wonder how he convinced Ezra to join, though,' Detia replied, turning back around to gaze out at the endless sparkling ocean.

"Probably the same way he got you to join," Azula offered, snaking a hand around her little monster's shoulders and pulling her just a bit closer.

~x~

The public beach was absolutely nothing like the secluded royal family beach that Detia was used to. There were people milling about everywhere, probably more than the usual considering the tournament. The small beach front (small compared to what Detia was used to) was packed with people. Most of which were Fire Nation but there were a few Earth Kingdom and Water Tribesmen wondering around. "Look at all these people!" Ursa exclaimed as she and her brother took the lead and ran out onto the beach.

"Stay where we can see you!" Zuko called after them, smiling as he took the beach umbrella and Mai's hand and followed his two more active children.

Ezra only sighed, taking her mother's other hand and walking alongside them. Ty Lee, Detia, and Azula brought up the rear, only because Ty Lee insisted on bringing a ridiculously large amount of stuff. 'Why did you need all this stuff?' Detia inquired as she was handed a plastic beach ball.

"Don't question it," Azula remarked, placing a hand on Detia's head as Ty Lee effortlessly carried the oversized duffle bag onto the beach.

"Detia, be a good girl and go find us a spot to sit all of this stuff." Ty Lee called, stopping so that her two favorite people in the whole world could catch up to her.

The lightning bender rolled her eyes but ran off to find the perfect place for them to sit, which just happened to be right beside Zuko and Mai. Detia stood in one place, her white one piece with the light blue skirt tied around her waist like a beacon among the sea of red. Ezra stood beside her, waiting patiently for her aunts to reach them, so she and Detia could build a sand castle before the tournament started. When Azula and Ty Lee were half way to them, the acrobat motioned for them to go play. The younger girl smiled slightly and took Detia's hand as they walked to the wet sand near the water, being careful to stay out of Lu Ten and Ursa's splashing match.

Ty Lee ran to the empty spot, convinced that someone would steal it if it was left unguarded for too long. Of course, Azula only smiled and stopped in her tracks to watch the woman she loved run to the spot as if she had something to lose, the strings of her rose colored bikini flapping in the wind. Watching as that fit body seemingly glided across the sand, the toned muscles in her legs rippling with each step, reminded the princess of a time long ago on a beach. Her good mood was broken instantly as some random man approached Ty Lee, smiling as he eyed her perfect form. Azula saw Zuko only chuckle as Ty Lee basically threw her bag into the man's extended arms; the sudden weight sending him to the ground despite the fact that he was rather built.

Grey eyes caught Azula's golden ones, silently telling the princess that Ty Lee knew what she was doing and not to worry. Azula calmed marginally but continued her swift strides to her wife. By the time Azula made it to her woman and wrapped an arm around her waist protectively, the man had already set out the blanket and assembled the beach umbrella. "You're such a tease," Azula whispered, tracing the muscles of Ty Lee's stomach and earning a shiver from her woman.

From their place building the sand castle, Ezra observed her Aunt Azula as she threatened the poor man. "That was kind of mean," she said, returning her attention to the castle.

Detia only shrugged. 'It's his own fault for not putting two and two together.'

"What do you mean?" Ezra asked, patting more sand into the wall.

'He saw me standing there and managed to figure out that I was her daughter. He should have known that my 'father' wouldn't be far behind,' Detia elaborated.

"Oh." Was all the younger girl said for a second. "He was an idiot."

Detia chuckled lightly and nodded.

The two hours before the start of the tournament were spent playing in the sun, mostly. The first hour consisted of Lu Ten 'accidentally' crashing into Detia and Ezra's masterpiece and Detia getting revenge by easily wrestling him to the ground in the shallow water, which ended in a water fight between all four children. Zuko couldn't help himself and easily convinced Ty Lee that they needed to be out there playing with their children. It wasn't until Zuko held Ty Lee in a loving embrace, both of their eyes sparkling, while re-enacting a completely made up tale of the spirits of the ocean and the moon that they were ever in true danger. What with the dodging of blue fire and knives. This is how Azula and Mai found themselves in the water.

The second hour was much less dangerous. Ezra and Ursa had decided that taking a nap before the tournament started was a good idea, with much coaching from Lu Ten and Detia. Zuko made the mistake of falling asleep on the sand for a short while, just long enough for Lu Ten and Detia (and Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee but they feigned innocence) to bury him. They were content with rebuilding the sand castle, after that, which Ursa and Ezra joined in on when they woke up until the tournament's start was announced.

There were five teams for the junior tournament, and unlike their team, the other four seemed to have children who were older and around the same age as Lu Ten. Detia wasn't worried at all, Lu Ten feigned courage, Ezra didn't care either way, and Ursa was getting bored fast. Their team was lucky and managed to skip the first round, seeing as they were the odd number. The older children, along with Azula and Mai – because Ty Lee and Zuko had chased after the twins when they returned to the ocean – examined the qualities of the other teams, deducing their weaknesses and strengths. Well, that's what Detia and Azula were doing. Mai was there to calm her son's nerves.

'Piece of cake,' Detia remarked. Then a thoughtful expression crossed her face. 'That sounds good. Can I have a piece of cake after this?'

Azula chuckled. "If you win."

Detia huffed, placing her hands on her hips and scowled, 'Whose daughter do you think I am?'

Again Azula chuckled, placing a hand on her daughter's head. "Mine," she said just as the announcer called their team. 'Make me proud.'

"We're going to win this," Lu Ten informed nervously as the four huddled up before the game.

The lightning bender rolled her eyes and promptly took over the planning, informing her family of the other team's weakness. The twins listened intently to everything their cousin said, every once in a while looking up at one of the other players. Lu Ten was just surprised that Detia had caught their weaknesses by just watching one game. Detia informed her cousins how they would use the lower net and smaller field to their advantage. The four nodded in unison and got into their assigned positions.

~x~

"I can't believe how easy that was," Lu Ten announced happily, holding the small golden trophy in his hands, placing his hand over his cousin's shoulder. "I still can't believe how good you are at this game. It was amazing."

"Totally!" Ursa agreed. "The way you jumped like twenty feet into the air to kick that ball was way awesome. I thought the net was going to catch on fire for sure. Can you teach me how to jump that high?"

Detia nodded, smiling at her family. 'It wasn't just me, you know,' Detia replied. 'You guys were awesome too. Like the way Lu Ten saved that ball before it could hit the ground, and then Ursa jumped up and hit it over the net. That was great teamwork.' Lu Ten and Ursa smiled smugly. 'And Ezra was all over the field.' Detia hugged the little girl. 'I guess your training with your mother is paying off, hm?'

A faint smile played on the little girl's lips as she nodded. "Well, we were totally awesome!" Lu Ten proclaimed.

"Hey," A new voice that none of them recognized called from beside Lu Ten, making the quartet look in that direction.

"Hey," Lu Ten replied, eyeing the boy standing there and the girl who was standing silently behind him.

"I'm Chang," the boy said with a twinkling smile. "This is Ju Long," he said gesturing to the girl behind him, who waved slightly. "We saw you guys playing. And you were amazing."

"Thanks," again it was Lu Ten who answered, still unsure about this person.

'She thinks you're cute,' Detia informed her cousin with a devious smirk. 'So does he,' she added, conveniently leaving off the part that Chang was totally in denial.

And though this fact made Lu Ten blush, he brushed his cousin's comment off. Chang continued to smile as if he was the coolest thing on the beach, completely unaware of what Detia was saying. "Our Birthday party is later today, and we were wondering if you wanted to come."

"What about my sisters?" Lu Ten asked, finding it easier to claim Detia as his sister than his cousin. Chang hesitated, trying to come up with a good reason to deny them the invitation.

"Don't you know who we are?" Ursa asked curiously, butting her way into the conversation.

'No one's realized it, yet.' Detia intoned. 'These people are ridiculously oblivious.'

Lu Ten suppressed a chuckle at his cousin's remark. "Don't you know who we are?" Ju Long countered, her tone stuck up and indignant.

Ju Long brushed a piece of her light black hair behind her ear before she crossed her arms. "We don't usually come to this beach," Ezra replied in monotone, already tired of standing there talking to them.

"Wait!" Lu Ten exclaimed as he looked to his cousin. "How can nobody know who you are? I mean us I can understand. We look like everyone else. But I mean come on! Look at you! How many people in the world look like you?"

Detia's expression fell to one of annoyance. 'That makes me feel so much better.'

"I didn't mean it in a bad way," he amended quickly.

'I know how you meant it.' Detia sighed, snatching the trophy from Lu Ten. 'Go to the party and have fun. I have other things to do.'

"Like what?" Ezra inquired.

Detia shrugged. 'There's a storm coming tomorrow. I was going to riddle our beach with metal rods and let the lightning create glass. Would you like to join me?' the older girl asked, extending her hand to her cousin who promptly took it.

"I want to come too!" Ursa exclaimed, taking Detia's other hand. "Have fun at the party Lu! Don't forget to tell daddy about it."

"Hey, wait," Lu Ten called as Detia and his sister walked off. The young prince turned back to Chang and Ju Long, who by this point were completely confused about what was going on, having heard nothing Detia said. Lu Ten sighed and smiled slightly. He bowed very slightly and replied, "Thank you for inviting me to your party, but my family and I stick together. You can't just invite one of us and not the others. So, bye."

He waved as he turned and ran to catch up to his cousin and sisters. Then grabbed the trophy from Detia and ran off ahead, taunting her to chase him. "That was weird," Ju Long replied, after they were far away.

"I know who that girl was. The one with the white hair," Chang remarked, a stunned expression on his face.

"Who?" the girl inquired.

"That was the princess of the Fire Nation," he answered, almost unable to believe it.

"If that's true then that means those other kids were probably…"

"Yep."

~x~

"There you guys are," Ty Lee called from her place beside Azula on the blanket, both sunbathing. "We were wondering where you ran off to."

"Lu was invited to a birthday party," Ursa announced happily, getting her parent's attention with that statement as she walked to her daddy, sitting in his lap and curling up a little. "But he decided that playing with us was way more fun."

"Can we go home now?" Ezra asked as she followed her sister's lead but sat in her mother's lap instead of Zuko's.

"What? Come on guys," Lu Ten tried to encourage, the trophy long since finding a home with Detia. "There's still so much we could do."

'We can do that at the beach house. Let's just go,' Detia voiced, the comment causing the adults to stand and start cleaning up.

"Alright then, let's get all of our stuff and head out. I'm tired of this place anyways," Azula announced, taking the umbrella down and shoving it back into Ty Lee's bag as Ty Lee folded the blanket.

"Did you have fun today?" Ty Lee asked her daughter, after placing the blanket in her bag and coming over to her child. "You look like you might have spent too much time in the sun. Maybe you'll tan."

Detia only smiled and nodded. She did have fun and from the smiles on her cousins' faces they had fun too. The only thing that could make this vacation better would be a thunderstorm. And from the smell of the Earth and feel of the wind, that was going to start tomorrow morning and last all day.

~Next day~

Detia, much to her parent's dismay, was up with the first clap of thunder. The sun hadn't even risen when that sound echoed through the mansion, waking only Detia. Azula was the next to rise, a couple of hours later, still far earlier than the time the sun rose. Not that you could see it anyways with the thick black clouds covering the sky. The princess didn't even bother looking in her child's room, knowing that it was empty or Ezra was in there. Unsurprisingly, she found the little girl sitting alone in the kitchen looking out the window towards the ocean and storm. Azula still could not figure out why she came to the kitchen when there was a perfectly good sunroom that had a much better view of the ocean and, by extension, the storm.

'You're up early,' Detia noted, not bothering to turn around. 'You've had like two hours of sleep.'

"It's not my fault that your mommy…"

'Don't finish that sentence,' Detia interrupted, turning slightly to gaze at her mother sternly. 'It's hard enough to block you two on a normal day.'

Azula chuckled, walking up behind the girl who turned back to gaze at the storm, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I couldn't sleep," Azula answered, leaving out the part that she was worried that her little monster would do something crazy. Like go out into the storm while everyone else was asleep. She'd done it before, and wasn't likely to stop. "Strangely, I don't feel tired at all." She paused for a moment, noticing Thunder flying out in the distance, a slender golden creature chasing after him. She only rolled her eyes; those two couldn't be more trouble. "I'm surprised you're just sitting here and not out there with them. Since most of us are asleep."

'The storm's not here yet, and Thunder's no fun to ride when he's playing with Sun,' Detia remarked, leaning her forehead against the window pane. 'It'll be at least three more hours till it gets here.'

Azula nodded, pulling away from her child and moving to a cabinet. "Well since we're both up, how would you like to play a friendly game of Pai Sho?" she asked, pulling out a board, the pieces rattling in the bag attached to it.

Detia lifted an eyebrow in amusement. 'You keep a Pai Sho board in the kitchen?'

The princess smiled. "You'd be surprised where uncle hides these things. They are literally everywhere. So, what do you say? Care to lose a game or two?"

Detia scoffed. 'I won't lose. Not today.'

Azula smirked, placing the board on the small table and sitting in one of the chairs. "Don't count me out yet, little girl. I still have a trick or two up my sleeve."

Intrigued, Detia moved to the table, picking up a rose tile.

~Noon-ish~

"Bad news, everyone." Zuko said with a sad expression as he entered the living area, holding a scroll in his hands.

Without even turning to look at her brother, Azula answered, "The weather's far worse than anticipated, and uncle won't be able to make it today."

He scowled at her, vaguely wondering why he wasn't used to her knowing everything. The collective awws from his children brought him back from glaring at the back of her head. The Fire Lord forced a smile for his children, focusing on the flames in the fireplace to calm himself. "Is it true dad?" Lu Ten asked, standing from the table he and his sisters were using to put a puzzle together. "Is uncle really not coming?"

Zuko eyed his sister, who still hadn't faced him - not that she could with Ty Lee draped over her like a blanket – to make sure she wasn't going to answer. "I'm afraid so, buddy," he answered, handing the scroll to Mai because she silently asked for it.

"Aw," Lu Ten whined. "Now what are we going to do? I was hoping he was coming, at least then we could listen to funny stories."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed. "I know."

"Does Detia know?" Ezra inquired, though she was fairly sure Detia wouldn't care either way.

Zuko looked around the room, surprised not to see his niece there. "Azula," he called walking so that he was in his sister's line of sight. "Where is Detia?"

Azula looked at her brother, debating if it was any of his business. Their golden eyes locked. She was almost disgusted to see the concern in his eyes, as if she didn't know where her child was at any given time of the day. "She's outside."

From the shocked look on his face that probably wasn't the best answer to give him, even if it was the truth. "In this weather?" Mai inquired, simply not believing that Ty Lee would let her daughter outside when it could be so potentially dangerous. Azula, maybe, but not Ty Lee.

Before Azula could answer that 'this' weather was the weather her little monster preferred to practice in Lu Ten exclaimed, "She's outside!" Azula nodded once.

"Is she training?" Ezra asked excited, well as excited as she got.

"Yes," Azula answered, amused that her niece and nephew thought her daughter's training was so fantastic.

"Let's go watch!" Ezra suggested, earning a nod from her brother.

Before their parents could tell them that they were not allowed outside in this weather, the two siblings bolted out of the room. "Hey, wait for me," Ursa called, trailing behind them.

Azula stood, Ty Lee still sleeping in her arms, and turned, laying her wife in the chair. "Well, come on." She ushered her brother and his wife as she followed after the children. "We don't want any of them to get hurt."

They found the three siblings in one of the sunrooms, their faces pressed against the window pane as they watched their cousin perform high level techniques. "I can barely see through this window," Lu Ten whined, unaware that his parents were right behind him until his Aunt opened the door that lead to the garden Detia practiced in.

They jumped as the door was suddenly opened but followed Azula once they realized what she was doing – as did Mai and Zuko. Azula crossed her arms and watched her only child move through different forms, the heavy rain finding a path along the thin mental barrier that guarded her body like a glove. Two slim arms wrapped around Azula's waist, a chin resting on her shoulder. "You left me," Ty Lee whispered and kissed the sensitive vein in Azula's neck, the familiar tingle making the princess smile.

"She's amazing," Zuko intoned, his consort's arm looped with his.

Ty Lee chuckled. "You're surprised? Look who her mother is."

Azula only chuckled, but kept her eyes trained on her daughter. "We knew she was good but this…this is...I don't even know if there's a word to describe it."

"It's cool," Lu Ten offered. "So, cool. Haven't you ever seen her do this?"

Zuko and Mai only shook their heads in the negative. "We were always busy."

"I can't see," Ursa said lightly from behind her parents, light enough for them not to hear her over the sound of the rain hitting the ground.

The events that unfolded after Ursa pushed through her parents and tripped over their long robes, slipping off the short wet porch and falling directly into the path of the lightning bender's attack would always be a blur to Detia. Through the minds of others, though they were clouded with a sudden burst of adrenalin, Detia pieced together what had happened. Ursa fell, the heavy rain causing the garden to overflow with water, soaking the seven year old almost instantly. Detia had been in mid-attack, performing the same move that broke her leg so long ago. Her thin body three feet off the ground as her right leg soared in an arc, a standard fire nation form. She saw her cousin's face as her body twisted, the fear in her young eyes forever etched into her mind. As if the younger girl knew she was going to die in that instant.

According to her mother's memories, because the act was instinctual and she did it without any order from her brain, Detia twisted her waist – her leg still on its original path – and grabbed her foot with her left hand. Completing the circuit and sending the electrical energy through her body. She deduced from her family's memories that the bright light that covered everything for a few seconds, scorching the garden to ruin, had been a bolt of lightning from the sky attracted to the positive charge her human circuit created. Being struck by lightning was not something the girl remembered. The last thing she remembered was hearing Ursa say she was sorry, over and over.

Clearly stamped into Ty Lee's memory was the image that followed after the light cleared; the body of her child lying on the ground motionless, smoke billowing from her form like a fireplace, and small streams of electricity bouncing over her body. The acrobat watched in stunned horror as her little girl's aura dimmed significantly. Her wife did not hesitate to run to her daughter, checking for…well anything. Azula felt Detia's sternum creak under her hands as she performed emergency CPR, ignoring the streams of blood that ran from every orifice. Detia's cough brought Ty Lee out of her stunned horror, and before she even knew what she was doing, she was at her daughter's side.

The girl's eyes opened for a second before rolling back into her head, but she didn't remember that either. The doctor that actually lived on the grounds came as quickly as he could. Behind the closed doors of Detia's room, he healed as much as he could. He sighed after coming out of her room from a twelve hour healing session and told her family the good news first. "She'll live," he said with little joy in his voice, hesitating when Zuko and Mai hugged their children, truly relieved.

"But," Azula interrupted, Ty Lee pressed tightly against her.

The doctor shook his head. "She's in a coma," he replied and before anyone could ask, "It's not like the one she was in when she was two. This one may be permanent; I have no way of knowing for sure. Someone will need to watch her continuously while she's in this state. She stopped breathing while I was working on her five times." Ty Lee gasped, trying to make her way to the room but Azula stopped her.

"And if she does wake up?" Azula inquired.

He sighed again. "If she wakes up she won't be able to see. Her eyes were burned too severely. And she won't be able to walk or use her left hand. From the tips of her fingers to the elbow, her left arm is basically dead. The muscles and tendons are burned beyond repair. The same goes for her right leg, from her toes to her knee. That's not even considering what kind of brain damage she may have." Azula only nodded as her wife hid her face in her neck, sobbing lightly.

"Thank you," was all Azula could manage at that point, too overcome with grief to be rude or snide.

The weeks that followed were long and tedious. They decided that moving Detia was too risky, so Azula and Ty Lee stayed on Ember Island to watch her while Zuko and Mai and their children went back to the capital, where Iroh was waiting for them. Zuko tried to remind his sister that Detia was supposed to be a goddess and wouldn't die from this. She listened to him but kept her thoughts to herself. Detia was just a child, a somewhat odd but otherwise normal child. Besides what kind of goddess almost dies from being struck by her own element?

One week passed and then another and another. Meals were often forgotten, as was sleep. The doctor would come in every day to check on her, see how she was healing. He would never let them in the room while he was healing her, but Azula had seen enough burn victims to know what he was doing and that she didn't want to see it. When he finished, he would sigh, closing the door behind him, and inform her parents that her burns were healing as to be expected. To Azula, who had taken over the task of dressing her child's wounds because Ty Lee simply could not do it, the burns didn't seem to be getting any better. They were still raw, long, deep red patches marring the yellow skin, the thick black veins clearly visible like cracks in yellow-red marble.

When the doctor finally suggested amputation, a second opinion was needed, then a third when the second doctor agreed with the first. Reluctantly, after the third doctor agreed with the other two, Azula contacted Katara and Aang. The couple had already heard what had happened to Detia, most of the world knew by this point, and after dropping their children off with Sokka and Suki, arrived on the northern Fire nation island the very next morning, Gyatso and Yue accompanying them because the children would not take no for an answer and somehow managed to stowaway on Appa. "You look terrible," was Katara's first remark to the princess as they entered the mansion.

As true as the statement was, it still grated on the princess' nerves.

"Fuck you," was Azula's snappy reply, sleep deprivation and hunger making her attitude worse than it already was.

"Azula." Ty Lee remarked half-heartedly, looking just as bad as her wife. "You brought your kids?" she noticed, watching as Gyatso and Yue unpacked Appa.

"Just those two. They stowed away on Appa before we left." Aang answered, very aware of the acrobat's mournful expression as she watched the children run around the flying bison.

He could only imagine what was going through her mind. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed as Azula pulled Ty Lee to her. "The doctors suggested that we amputate her left arm and right leg. We want another opinion," Azula elaborated.

Katara nodded. She knew Detia had been hurt, but she didn't realize it was that bad. "She's this way," Ty Lee said, her voice cracking slightly as she pulled away from Azula and led the couple to the room.

Aang stayed outside with Ty Lee and Azula as Katara went into the room to examine the child. At first glance, the lightning bender didn't seem to be breathing. When Katara looked closer, it appeared that she really wasn't, but just as she was about to panic, the child took a shallow breath, her chest rising only slightly. What the water bender saw as she unwrapped the nine-year-olds arm and leg almost made her cry. She had to stop and gain control of herself more than once. It looked terrible, but then again, fourth degree burns always did. They didn't seem to be healing though, causing unnecessary strain on the small body, and ultimately, she came to same conclusion as the former doctors.

She really hated telling Azula and Ty Lee her opinion. It was true she did not like the Fire Nation Princess and probably never would, but she didn't dislike her enough to tell her that her daughter, her pride and joy, would never be able to walk again. Never be able to truly bend again. The water bender wished she could think of another solution, but her mind drew up blank. As she exited the room, her expression was enough to tell the couple and Aang her opinion. "This isn't right," Aang intoned before anyone else could say anything. "She's a goddess. She's not supposed to get injured like this. There has to be something we're missing."

"Aang," Katara whispered, "her being a goddess was only speculation. There was no proof of it."

The Avatar huffed slightly but was unwilling to let this go. He turned to Azula and bowed. "With your permission, I would like to try one more thing before you do anything rash."

Azula paused, but she was too tired to think straight, and really, really did not want to disable her daughter. Whatever he had in mind would surely be grasping at straws, but that's where she was. So she nodded, giving him her consent. "What do you have planned?"

"I'm going to meditate and try to contact her spirit. Kinda like spirit bending but without the bending," he explained. "I'll need total silence."

They nodded as he walked into the room, closing the doors behind him, getting into his meditative stance and hoping that this would work. Calming his mind, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He made sure not to look at the child lying nearly lifeless on the bed, knowing that it would distract him. He felt his spirit ascend from his body, and he opened his eyes. What he saw was not what he expected. He expected to find himself in the room, looking down on it. Instead, he found himself in a cold, long room, the only source of light coming from the far end illuminating only one chair. "Hello," he called, cautiously making his way to the light.

"Hello Avatar." It was a woman's voice, sweet as honey but with a hint of sadness that hurt his heart.

"Where am I?" he asked, still walking closer and ignoring the emptiness he was feeling from the room.

"Why, you are where you wanted to be," the voice answered, sounding as if it came from behind him. He nodded slightly and fought the urge to turn around, knowing full well that the voice he was hearing was not coming from behind him. "I apologize for the lighting. I am not accustomed to holding grudges, you see. But you took so much from me, all that I held dearest. So, you'll understand if I don't show you what's in this room."

"I understand," The Avatar agreed. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Ah yes, I almost forgot," she chuckled. "You are here because of the vessel."

"Yeah," Aang agreed rubbing the back of his head and trying to overcome the spirit's aura. "I just don't understand how you, well her…er…can even get injured."

Again the voice chuckled, "You misunderstand the way we work." A stray hand whisked over Aang's shoulder, her mere presence sending chills down his spine. The feeling was similar to meeting the dragons, but this was worse, more powerful, more menacing. He knew that the only reason he was still alive is because she allowed it. If he were younger with less experience under his belt, he would have escape the instant he could, but he wasn't and he stayed where he was. "The spirit may be strong, may be a god, but the body is still only human. To become immortal, one must die."

"I…I don't understand," he admitted.

"It is not your place to understand," she answered simply. "The process has already begun. Though, it is a bit early. But then again, I always did do things in advance," she said, her voice fading as if she were talking to someone else and not Aang. The Avatar lifted an eyebrow still confused. The voice must have seen his confusion. "I will be fine, Avatar. Just don't let them cut anything off. I will need those. It shouldn't be much longer now," she mused. "You can leave now."

Aang nodded, he did not want to overstay his welcome, feeling her aura move away from him and closer to the light. "Before I go, may I ask one question?"

"You just did," was her reply, the smile in her tone clearly heard. "But I'm feeling generous, so continue."

He gulped, almost afraid to ask the question. "What…um…what is your name?"

"My name?" she repeated coldly, as if he just asked her the secret of life.

"Yeah, it's just that…you know…no one knows your name. I just thought…."

"That's enough," she said finally, her tone even as the chill in the air increasing. "Leave. Now."

"It was just…"

"Now." Her voice did not rise but reverberated through the chamber and sent him flying back into his body and slamming against the wall.

"Ow," he said rubbing his head and swore he heard Detia chuckle.

The Avatar shook his head, noticing that Detia was still laying motionless on the bed, and stood. He walked out of the room, finding no one waiting there. Surprised he looked around, finding that the sun had already set. This surprised him even more. "Don't be so surprised," Azula called as she leaned against the wall. "Talking to the goddess takes a lot of time, longer than it seems."

"Were you waiting?"

"No," she answered honestly, shaking her head slightly. "I was about to go to sleep, or at least try to."

Aang nodded. "You were going to say goodnight to her?"

The princess sighed but did not answer. "What did she say?"

"Right. The goddess said not to amputate, that she would be okay. She said that it was almost time." He opted to leave out the part about the dying.

"Time for what?"

The Avatar shook his head. "She doesn't like me remember."

Azula nodded, walking into her daughter's room and closing the door behind her.

~x~

The sound of thunder woke Ty Lee from her sleep. Not that it was a sound sleep or a restful sleep. For the past couple of weeks, the only thing the acrobat would dream about was what happened to her daughter and different scenarios about the future. In one dream, Detia had died, and as they burned her remains, Azula simply broke, retreating into her own psyche. They had to put her back into the sanitarium, and Ty Lee was left all alone. The depression she felt and the things she saw felt so real. She awoke crying and rushed from her room straight to her daughter's, where the child lay asleep and breathing. That one was the worst.

But this night, she had barely got to sleep when the thunder woke her. Needing to be comforted, Ty Lee searched the bed for her wife, finding it empty. As odd as that was, Ty Lee wasn't that surprised and stood, flinching as the thunder clapped loudly. Slipping on a silk robe, the acrobat left the room and walked down the empty halls, past the room Aang and Katara were sleeping in, and the room the Yue and Gyatso were sleeping in, to Detia's room. The electric charge in the air caused the hairs on her arms and nape of her neck to stand up, giving the house an ominous feeling. She ignored it as best she could. She found Azula slumped over the bed on Detia's right side, sitting in a chair Ty Lee knew was comfortable but not for sleeping in.

"Azula," Ty Lee called lightly, placing a hand on her wife's shoulder. She was vaguely aware of Thunder and Sunstone taking up most of the corner of the room.

The princess stirred slightly but did not wake up. Before Ty Lee could call to her again, movement on the bed caught her attention. Her head snapped to the bed but all was still. Sighing, the acrobat decided to join her wife. Without any light, Ty Lee found a chair and pulled it to the left side of her child and sat in it. Thunder clapped outside. Judging from the sound, it was a few miles away, but the sound and the light from the lightning was enough to keep her awake. She tried her best to stop her eyes from looking down at her daughter's burnt arm. Once and only once, she had seen the wounds her child sustained, and it nearly caused her to break down, which was why Azula was the one who checked and did whatever was needed to help the healing.

Movement from the bed caught Ty Lee's attention again, drawing it to Detia's left hand. A light groan echoed through the room, the foreign sound waking Azula. 'Mommy,' Detia's voice rang like a sweet melody, the sound alone bringing tears to the acrobat's eyes.

"I'm here, baby," Ty Lee answered, touching the part of her daughter's arm that wasn't burnt.

"Ty Lee," Azula called lightly, not believing what she was seeing as Detia's golden eyes opened, turning to look at Ty Lee and then Azula when the princess gasped.

'Mommy,' the little girl said again, turning her head to look at the acrobat.

"Yes," Ty Lee replied, tears of joy freely falling down her cheeks.

'I'm hungry,' Detia informed, earning a chuckle from her parents at the simple statement.

TBC

A/N: Sorry for the totally anticlimactic volleyball tournament. I had this really cool idea in my head and started writing it instantly, later realizing I knew absolutely nothing about volleyball. I avoided it like the plague in school. I would have deleted it but I had already written it and didn't want to waste the some odd number of pages it took up. So sue me ;]

Review….because I like them, it makes me want to write more


	16. Chapter 16

Of Fire

Chapter 16

Detia looked down at her left arm for what had to be the hundredth time since she woke. The girl set eating, something she hadn't stopped doing, lunch with everyone in the mansion. She hadn't expected the Avatar and his peasant to be at the mansion nor did she expect Yue and Gyatso. When Katara had first entered the kitchen earlier that morning – where Detia set eating, her parents watching her like a hawk (they still couldn't believe she was awake better less acting like nothing had changed) – she had stopped in her tracks at the little white-hair child. In returned Detia turned to stare the woman down, her eyes occasionally flicking back to her food. Katara's gaze turned to the arm and leg, left un-bandage, then back to the child's clear golden eyes.

After a while Detia turned to her parents and silently asked why Katara was staring at her like she was looking at a ghost. Azula told her not to worry about it and to continue eating. The lightning bender did as she was told easily and ignored that water bender as Ty Lee lead her out of the kitchen to explain what happened as she knew it – which wasn't much. The Avatar reacted much the same way, stopping in his tracks and staring. Detia didn't even bother to look at him, not with the freshly made meal in front of her – salivating just by looking at it. Yue and Gyatso, on the other hand, reacted much differently. The instant Yue saw Detia the young Earth bender charged her friend like a wild rhino, Detia almost didn't see it coming. Thankfully Ty Lee intervened faster than anyone had ever seen her react, swiftly picking her child up and out of the way just as Yue was about to jump on her. Shortly after, Katara explained to her niece that she needed to be careful because Detia was in a fragile state. Yue nodded that she understood and hugged her friend lightly, completely ignoring the charred arm and leg. Gyatso wasn't quite so hyper and expressed his happiness that his friend was okay by handing her a get well soon card he'd been working on. The gift surprised her and she thanked him lightly, making him blush slightly – something Detia couldn't really understand.

And now she set, listening to the rain pouring over the mansion, a half-empty bowl of noodles in front of her, and staring at her left arm. It didn't look any different than the days before, she concluded from everyone's memories. But it didn't hurt, in fact she couldn't feel it at all. Though, Katara did say that burns of this magnitude usually killed all nerve endings so she wouldn't feel anything. She could lift it and turn it at her elbow but everything below that was stiff and hard, not like she'd imagine the kind of burn Katara was talking about to feel like. Not that she would know, but whatever. Her leg was the same way, but she had to do some odd maneuvering to see it and she didn't really have the desire for that. Besides, her parents seemed quite adamant about not letting her move too much. Whenever she wanted to go somewhere one of her parents would carry her to that place. She had suggested that she could try to walk by herself, that she did know how, but they shot that idea down faster than lightning, agreeing that the idea was the worst idea they had ever heard and that included the time they let Sokka talk Ty Lee into drinking the cactus juice.

The lightning bender had tried touching her arm, just to see if it would hurt but once her right hand got into the vicinity of her left arm Azula promptly slapped the hand away. The hit did not hurt, but the sound surprised the little girl and she jumped, turning to her mother with a classic 'puppy-dog' look. "Don't touch it." Azula said firmly, ignoring the look with practiced ease.

So, Detia looked around the room, Gyatso looked like he was about to fall asleep, Katara was talking with Aang, Yue was staring off into space minding her own business and painting on a piece of paper. The two other children were keeping their distance for fear of accidentally hurting the lightning bender, which made Detia sigh. She understood, of course, but it still annoyed her. Her parents were across the room talking to each other in hushed tones. If she wanted to she could eavesdrop on them and she had for about three seconds before deciding that listening to them talk about her was not something she wanted to hear about. However, they seemed to be distracted by the conversation, so Detia lowered her right hand under the table she was sitting at and touched her leg. The skin was hard and rough, similar to the feeling of dried mud, but she didn't feel anything from her leg. "Detia," Azula warned, not even looking at the girl. "What did I tell you?"

Detia frowned, glaring at her mother as she moved her right hand back to the tabletop. The lightning bender looked down at her bowl, finding that she wasn't hungry anymore and pushing the bowl away from her. Thunder rolled outside, drawing her attention to the only window in the room, seeing her thunderbird fly around in the distance – but not too far away she noticed. He could make it back to the mansion in less than a second if the need arose. She looked to her parents, 'Can I go outside?' she asked.

"No." They chorused sternly, wondering why she even asked.

Detia frowned, resting her head against the table – already bored. Restlessly, the lightning bender drummed the fingers of her right hand against the table. They weren't letting her do anything. A devious thought came to mind, causing a devious smirk to cross her lips. Her parents telling her 'no' had never really stopped her from doing anything. She simply chose not to out of respect for them but now they were just being overprotective, in her opinion anyways. Using her right arm as a lever she pushed herself to her feet. She could feel both of her parent's eyes on her; both too shocked to reprimand her. Ignoring their stares, Detia placed a bit of weight on her right leg, the cracking sound woke her parents from their shocked state, but Detia felt no pain. Looking down she could see where the cracks came from, thick black lines spiked across her skin, oozing a thick light yellow liquid, but again there was no pain.

"Detia," Ty Lee called hesitantly walking towards her child. The lightning bender looked up at her Mommy. "What are you doing?"

Detia looked back down at her leg, 'Trying something.'

She may not have remember what had caused her leg and arm to look like they did but she very clearly remembered her conversation with, well, herself. There was no doubt in her mind of her goddess status but she knew each god healed differently and seeing as her former self had never really been injured like this she didn't know exactly how it worked. However, she was not an unintelligent person and was fairly certain she knew what was going on. "Excuse me?" Azula intoned, her worry showing more than her anger.

Detia smirked at her mother and slammed her right foot into the ground, a long crack spiking up her entire lower leg – from her big toe to her knee – allowing more of the yellow liquid to ooze out. Ty Lee gasped loudly, fear clearly evident in her entire being. Just as the acrobat started to run to her child, to make her stop, Detia grabbed her chop sticks and stuck them into the crack, finally feeling the touch against her leg. Before the little goddess could use the chopsticks as a pry her mommy wrapped her arms around her, taking the chopsticks from her leg – throwing them somewhere across the room – and held her daughter tightly. "Detia stop, you could hurt yourself."

'No.' Detia countered, struggling against her mommy. 'I know what I'm doing.' She thought to the older woman, even though it was a half lie.

"Detia!" Azula's stern voice yelled, causing all motion to stop. "That's enough."

Detia frowned, but went limp against Ty Lee. Azula walked over to her child with every intention of punishing her for going against their wishes. Even though she had never done it before she was sure she could think of something. That was her intention at least, until something hard and fragile, like an eggshell cracked under her foot. Leaning over, she picked up a piece of whatever it was she had stepped on and examined it. It was yellow with specks of red and the edges were black. It took only a second for her to realize what it was and she looked at her daughter's right leg, where the girl had shoved in the chopsticks, finding a piece of it missing – the yellow liquid covering the small entrance.

Azula stood, approaching her daughter sternly. The little girl met her eyes without flinching, proving that she was not afraid of whatever her mother was going to do to her. Though that fact blossomed the pride within her, Azula had other matters to attend to. "Sit." She demanded. Ty Lee gently set her child onto the ground, making sure that her right leg was straight. Azula knelt and suddenly grabbed Detia's right leg, putting her hand up to stop Ty Lee from protesting. "Does that hurt?"

The lightning bender shook her head in the negative – she didn't feel a thing. "Azula?" Katara questioned.

Azula looked over to the water bender and her husband and the two children they had brought, having honestly forgotten they were there. "I'll need towels." She informed the water peasant and turned back to her little monster. "Alright, Ty Lee," she addressed her wife. "Don't panic."

"Why, what do you have planned?" she asked but before Azula answered the princess struck her daughter's leg, creating a crack parallel to the other one – from the little monster's small toe to knee. "Azula, what the hell?"

"Hush," Azula commanded, forgetting who she was talking to, as she struck the girl's leg twice more, once at her toes and once at her knee – creating a rectangle of black cracks on the girl's leg.

Detia did not so much as flinch as this was happening, which confused the acrobat more than anything. So she watched silently, vaguely noticing the other two children and Aang approach, as Azula stuck her hands into the cracks – one at her knee and the other at her toes – ignoring the yellow liquid pooling onto the floor and more importantly under her fingernails. It took some doing, more than Azula would have liked, to pull the piece of burn flesh from her daughter's leg. Ty Lee gasped, along with Katara and Yue, at what she saw under the flesh. Under the piece of flesh, surrounded by a protective yellow substance was Detia's right leg, absolutely pristine in appearance. Post haste, Azula tore off the rest of the shell like damaged flesh.

"How does that feel?" The princess asked, taking a towel Katara had brought and whipping off the remaining yellow liquid.

Detia smiled, wiggling her toes and bringing her right knee to her chest before pushing her left hand towards her mother.

~x~

The lightning bender touched her left hand to the toes of her right foot. It was an easy enough stretch to do. Though, the water peasant still had no idea how that even happened –a fact that made Azula smile smugly, though she didn't really know either. Detia had refused to answer any of their questions, claiming that she didn't know – which was only partially true. She was a goddess was the answer she would have given if she was being honest.

They had returned to the Capital the very next day, Katara and her family opting to go home. Having given no advanced notice, no one knew they were coming. It was Ty Lee's idea, to surprise everyone. And it did. They arrived at the palace around dinner time, telling the guards to remain silent about their arrival. Dinner was a somewhat traditional affair for the royal family. They all set quietly in the room, eating whatever they had that day. Usually, Ursa or Lu Ten or Iroh if he was there would start chatting about something or another half way through. But when Detia walked into the dining room – unnoticed by anyone and alone – everyone was eerily silent.

'Wow, what a party.' She had said, breaking the ice and causing everyone to look her.

The lightning bender didn't know how she got there, but she found herself on the floor all three of her cousin on top of her. Ty Lee had giggled when she and Azula entered the room, taking their normal seats. After that the cousins whisked Detia away to inform her of everything she missed while the adults discussed what had happened.

Detia was mildly shocked and disappointed to learn that most of their summer was almost over and ran off to grumble about it to her parents, trying to convince them to let her skip like the first couple of months. Azula denied the request quickly, telling her that she only had two more years before she finished and she should just suck it up and deal with it. Unfortunately, Ty Lee was in the room so Detia couldn't go behind Azula's back and ask her Mommy, who probably would have let her stay out.

That was the whole reason she was sitting outside under a tree in front of her school, wishing she had burnt it to the ground her first year. Class was about to start, not that she really cared, Ezra and Ursa had long since left to their classrooms. Neither wanting to be late and both wanting to talk to their friends before class started. Detia sighed as she stood and walked casually to her classroom before sitting in her assigned seat at the back corner of the class, vaguely wondering why the two seats beside her were never filled. Her attention was pulled from the empty seats to the teacher as he walked in. As instructed, everyone stood, bowed to the teacher, turned and bowed to the picture of the Fire lord, reciting some pledge or something that Detia had long since forgotten. When that was all finished and everyone was seated a ruckus was clearly heard outside the classroom.

The door opened, another male teacher entered, dragging one girl while another followed in swiftly after. He pulled the girl in front of him, setting her on her feet, her arms crossed with a scowl on her face. "These are your new students. Good luck." The teacher bowed and quickly left the room, causing the one girl to smirk.

The instant Detia laid eyes on these girls it seemed like she knew them. She didn't know from where or even how but she did recognize them. "Um, okay." The teacher hesitated. "Girls." He said addressing the two new students. "Do you want to introduce yourself?"

They remained silent, "Um." The one who wasn't dragged in said, fidgeting with the hem of her turquoise uniform. It was a regular looking academy uniform for girls, only it was turquoise with sky blue trimming and a matching belt. The girl opted to wear the outfit without the customary armbands, instead wearing cerulean gloves that only came to her middle of her hand and those were hidden under her long sleeves. Detia identified her as water tribe despite the fact that her skin was as white as a snow. Nervously, she flicked a strand of her thick light brown hair behind her shoulder, which just returned to its original position in the front. The thing that struck Detia the most was the choker around her neck. It was sky blue, the same as her belt, but hanging from it was a single red stone the old character for fire carved into it. If she remembered correctly, which she did, Yue had informed her that to the water tribe a necklace like that was a sign of engagement or marriage. Instead of wondering why someone who looked her age was engaged, Detia wondered who she was promised to. "My name is Yuna." The girl finally said her voice smooth and flowing like the water in a lake on a calm day. "This is Angi."

She gestured to the other girl beside her, whose arms were still crossed and looking more annoyed than anything. Half the class was wondering if she even belonged in this school because she was wearing a dark red, almost maroon, boy's uniform, and the bright yellow of the gi she wore under her tunic contrasting dramatically against the darker color. Angi turned to one of the girls sitting in the class, her red eyes – that almost looked brown in the right light – glaring at the girl. Apparently, the girl had asked a question but Detia had missed that part as she was busy examining the girls in the front of the class. "The colonies," Angi answered the question, flicking her wild uneven short jet black hair – the tips dyed a deep red – out of her eyes with a flick of her head.

Her skin was tanned, Detia noticed. Not like a member of the water tribe but actually tan, like she had spent way too much time outside in the sun, an even golden brown. Also around her neck was a choker, this one black with a blue gem hanging from it, the ancient character for water carved smoothly into its surface, like grooves created by the flow of water in a river. "Which colonies?" someone asked, causing Angi to roll her eyes.

"I'm from the colonies in the Water Tribe." Yuna answered but no one said anything even though they all knew there weren't colonies in the Water Tribe. "Angi is from the colonies in the Earth Kingdom." That could have been true but given her appearance Detia suspected she was from one of the small islands of the Fire Nation. "We are part of the exchange student program that Fire Lord Zuko set up in order to further the peace of our nations. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope we become good friends."

The statement seemed false and hallow to Detia, only said because that's what everyone expected you to say. But there were a lot of false and shallow people in this classroom so most of them probably believed it. "Alight then." The teacher said with a smile. "Please take the two empty seats in back."

Angi walked back first, sitting in the seat right next to Detia's, crossing her arms and making sure to look bored. Yuna followed her companion closely, sitting in the seat in front of Angi. The water tribe girl turned and waved at Detia and the girl in front of Detia. And class continued. Aside from Angi making a poor attempt to cheat, which the teacher caught her at, everything was uneventful. The odd thing was that Detia couldn't read their minds and she actively tried. The second time she tried, she tried on Angi and the dark skinned girl turned to her slightly and smirked.

Detia actually blushed at being caught and turned away without trying again. At lunch, Detia was sitting by herself under the tree far enough away from everyone else so that she wouldn't be bothered, the same tree she'd been sitting under for five years. Ezra and Ursa didn't have the same lunch time so she was alone, like always. Until she heard, "Angi, that's not very creative."

"Shut up. Where are we going to sit?" Came the annoyed reply. The lightning bender looked up to find the two new students nearly right in front of her. "Can we sit with you?" Angi asked, her black eyebrow lifted, the lunches in her hand balanced with practiced ease.

"Didn't you hear what the others girls said about her? She might not want us to bother her." Yuna remarked.

"Those snobs? I don't listen to people like that. All I heard was blah, blah, blah doesn't conform to my wishes blah, blah, blah, something about something stupid. She sounds like my kind of person, honestly." Angi replied.

'I'm sitting right here.' Detia replied, not sure if either of them could hear her because she couldn't get into their minds.

"We know." Angi said and rolled her eyes at the surprised look on Detia's face. "So can we sit here or not?" Detia gestured to the empty space around her and the two set in front of her. "As you probably know, I am Angi and this is Yuna."

'Detia.' Detia informed. Angi looked at her suspiciously, an eyebrow lifted, as she handed her water tribe companion one of the box lunches. 'What?'

"Nothin'." Angi replied, "It's just that everyone said that you can't communicate. I knew they were just losers."

Yuna rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her, she's a bitch."

"It's true." Angi agreed, making Detia chuckle. "And I have a short fuse and will find just about any excuse to start a fight. Speaking of which, someone said that you were in the advanced Fire Bending class next period." Detia nodded. "I'm in that class too. So is she but she's a water bender."

'So we'll be learning different forms from you?' Detia inquired, looking to Yuna who was eating properly.

Yuna nodded, "Probably. I don't know what else I'd be doing there."

"Except, you know, show the Fire Nation what kind of power the Water Tribe really has."

The water bender sighed. "That's your forte not mine."

"Yeah, whatever." Was Angi's reply as she looked up at the sky. "Look at the sky, let's go to class."

"We still have ten minutes." Yuna argued even though she stood up.

"So?" The tanned girl remarked, making her companion sigh. "Come on, Detia! I want to challenge you. I hear you're good." Angi said as she grabbed Detia's hand and pulled her towards the boy's school.

"Sorry." Yuna whispered, when she finally caught up to them.

~x~

Detia set mediating in her room. The moon was high in the sky and most everyone was sleep. Her candle was barely lit, the flame low, casting the single room into a soft glow. "Detia!" the door to her room burst open, the sudden loud sound so out of the ordinary and unexpected the white-hair child jumped. "Did I scare you?"

The lightning bender turned to glare at the girl standing in her door, wearing only a baggy pair of red shorts and tight black tank top. 'Angi.' Detia questioned in a statement.

"Sup." The fire bender stated, closing the door behind her and promptly flopping down on Detia's perfectly made bed. "How come you get a single? And your bed is bigger? That's so unfair."

'Princess.' Detia answered simply, trying very hard to get back to her meditating.

"Yeah whatever. Lucky." Angi declared, grabbing the young royal's silk pillow. "Damn, and silk pillows, I feel so cheated."

'Your language is terrible.'

"Thank you." Angi thanked. "You were awesome today at training by the way. I don't think I've seen anyone defeat Yuna so fast. It was like watching the greatest show ever."

'Shouldn't you be with her?' Detia inquired, still in meditation form. 'In your room sleeping.'

"Na. She's off somewhere. You know how the moon affects the water benders. Besides I couldn't go to sleep. Why you want me gone?"

'Yes.' Detia answered without hesitation, making Angi chuckle.

"Blunt." Angi replied. "I like it. We're going to be good friends."

Detia's eyes popped open, pupils widened at the sound of that one word. She looked over to Angi, who despite being told to leave was still laying the bed, fiddling with the blue and red tassels of the silk pillow. 'Can I ask you something?'

"Shoot."

'That chocker around your neck, are you engaged?' Detia asked, turning to face her bed.

Angi instinctively touched the pendant on her chocker and smile thoughtfully. "No. I'm married." The tanned girl chuckled at the surprised look on Detia's face. "I know. I often think the same thing."

'But you're so young.'

"Oh, I forgot, crap." She said under her breathe, blushing slightly. "I'm not as young as I look?"

"That sounded lame even to me." Yuna's voice echoed over the empty space, causing both girls to turn to look at her.

"You're back from…whatever you were doing." Angi replied happily, patting the space on the bed beside her.

"Yes, I am back and that's awfully rude." The pale girl remarked as she walked into the room.

'It's alright, go ahead.' Detia offered before Angi could say something rude.

Yuna set on the bed as a noble woman would, folding her turquoise nightgown as she set. Angi moved to wrap her arm around the other girl's waist, completely ignoring the strange look Detia was giving them. "Detia and I were just talking about the chokers."

"Oh, is that where that excuse came from?" Angi only chuckled. "She doesn't think things through. It's an engagement necklace. We haven't been married off yet."

Detia chuckled, decided to leave the subject alone for now. 'What are you two doing over the winter holiday?'

"Why?" they chorused.

'When school ends we usually have a banquet at the palace would you two like to come?'

The two looked at each other before Yuna sighed. "We can't."

"But it has absolutely nothing to do you with you." Angi added quickly.

'Oh.' Detia exhaled heavily.

"If you want," Yuna started. "We can come over to the palace after the day of the solstice."

"Yeah!" Angi agreed happily.

Yuna lifted a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "You don't think these things through very often do you?"

"Not my style, I'm spontaneous." Detia and Yuna both rolled their eyes.

"Obviously."

Angi ignored them both. "You could totally show us around the palace."

'I could do that.' Detia agreed.

"Princess." A voice from behind the door called as a knock resonated in the room.

"Make her think we're not here." Angi whispered harshly.

'What?' Detia had never even heard of something like that.

"Just get into her mind and make her think we're not here." Angi nearly growled.

'I can't do that!' The lightning bender argued back.

"Yes you can," Yuna offered quietly. "Just try."

"I'm coming in." the voice from outside the door replied as the doorknob turned.

"Do it." Angi prompted.

Detia sighed heavily, 'I'll try.'

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Of Fire

Chapter 17

Prior to that moment, all of her memories of the past days, or weeks, hell it could have even been years, had been blurred and contaminated, running in a long never ending loop. The same thing over and over but she barely recognized the repetition of her surroundings. Barely noticed anything that was going on. Sometimes she would remember talking to people, people she knew, like her brother, her once friends, and her mother. But that could have been an illusion, a trick played on her by the faulty electrical impulses of her brain. It was so hard to tell reality from illusion, and most of the time, she didn't bother trying to distinguish them.

Even at that moment, her vision was foggy and her surroundings barely recognizable. No doubt a haze brought on by the endless amount of drugs they gave her. Her wrist and ankles were bound, she knew that, the extra weight of the iron bands dragging her down, but it was something she had grown accustomed to. Though, when she was coherent enough, which wasn't often, she would complain about them and how much they hurt her. No one listened. Not that she expected them to. But that was another subject. A subject she never seemed to have time to think on.

With dull golden eyes she looked at her surroundings. She recognized the throne she knelt in front of, and the hard marble floor below her. When she looked up, she half expected to see the orange flames separating the Fire Lord Ozai from the rest of the world, herself included. But instead, there were no flames. No imposing, hidden figure who had been the focus of many of her delusions. Instead, she saw her brother, congratulating herself for actually recognizing him, sitting calmly on the throne that was her father's. He looked down at her, with the same judgmental eyes as everyone else, wanting something from her. Though, she didn't know what. She rarely ever knew. He was speaking to her, his tone slow and deliberate, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

She managed to sneer at him, for a moment remembering that she was angry with him, furious even, but it died down quickly. In her current state, she simply lacked the energy to stay angry, or feel anything. It was hard enough keeping her eyes open and focused, which she was very quickly failing at. From the corner of her eye, she saw him frown and couldn't stop herself from smirking. He motioned for someone to come to him and she half-heartedly followed the direction he was waving in.

What she saw there was the Avatar, looking weak and pathetic as he ever did. He had gotten taller she noticed, again congratulating herself for just a minor thing she remembered, but he was still just a boy, dressed in formal light tan Air Nomad clothing. She did sneer at him as he came towards her. The grim expression on his still youthful face was enough to make her smile. He was mere inches away from her when he said the word 'sorry' and moved his hands towards her. Before he could touch her, he was shoved away from her, falling to the ground. She would have laughed had she seen but her view was blocked by pink.

She recognized the voice that spoke desperately on her behalf, the figure in pink standing determinedly in front of her, protecting her. Again, she did not recognize the words, but she knew that voice. A voice she had heard every day prior to that moment. A voice that with only one word heard would drive all of the demons, all of the delusions, away, allowing her to rest, to be at peace. A voice that belonged to a body that would calm and comfort her when the things she saw were too much to bear alone and even sometimes when they weren't. A voice who still treated her like a person, a human being. Who would sit and talk to her, even when she didn't talk back. Who still came day after day, even though she constantly tried to push it away.

Because of that voice, that constant caring presence, she knew that she was getting better. Her delusions were less violent and her mind clearer than it had been in a long time. Her Ty Lee, that silly little airheaded acrobat. She could even remember the moment things turned from worse to better, the day Ty Lee had come to see her. She was somewhat coherent that day, so she remembered it better than most. Like normal, Ty Lee had smiled at her as if nothing had changed. As if she was still the calculating, cruel princess of the Fire Nation she had been and not chained to the ground like some animal. A gesture she had come to appreciate, even if she'd never say so out loud.

And like she used to do when they were younger, Ty Lee brushed her hair and told her how pretty it was and how tall she had gotten. She complimented her nearly endlessly until the princess couldn't take it anymore. She lashed out and slapped the brush from Ty Lee's hand. She shoved the girl to the ground, demanding to know why she was still there after everybody else had long since given up and what she wanted from her. Ty Lee had only smiled, after the short shock had worn off, and said, "I don't want anything from you. As long as you let me, I'll never leave you. I'll always be here." The three little words that followed those sentences were barely a whisper, not meant to be heard by anyone.

But she heard them. And felt that soft kiss against her forehead that told her everything would be all right. Even now, that voice that whispered such sweet honest words to her was defending her. When Ty Lee had nothing to gain and even more to lose, that silly acrobat still defended her, stood her ground against the Fire Lord. She tried to focus on what was being said, tried to clear her mind of the drug induced fog. It worked for only a short time before it became too much for her. As much as she hated to, she would have to rely on her Ty Lee to do what was best for her.

An explosion of fire and rock temporarily cleared her mind, enough for her to realize that they were surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers. Well, people dressed in Fire Nation armor. One of the soldiers, obviously the leader, shouted something along the line of long live…someone or something. She didn't quite get that last part. Not that she would have been listening even if she was coherent. The only thing that caught her attention was the body that held her protectively as the enemy started attacking. She felt Ty Lee's grip tighten as the acrobat's body tensed then loosened. She watched helplessly as Ty Lee slipped to the floor, a thick red liquid pooling around her.

In that moment, as she registered what had happened to Ty Lee – her Ty Lee – her mind cleared. As if it had cut through whatever fog had surrounded it, creating a clear-cut pathway to sanity. And suddenly, her wrist and ankles were free from their bindings. Later, she would wonder what happened to the thick metal bands, but at the moment, her only thought was of Ty Lee. With all the commotion no one noticed her as she pulled Ty Lee into her lap, biting her lip as the tears that she didn't know she was crying rolled down her cheeks. For once, Ty Lee was silent, her eyes closed and her breathing nearly non-existent.

The wounds didn't appear particularly life threatening, a few projectiles had found a place in Ty Lee's back. Had this been any other moment, Azula would have known that Ty Lee needed to see a doctor and get bandaged quickly. She would have assessed the battle going on before her, noticing that all of the doors seemed to have been locked or barricaded, considering the loud banging coming from the other side. That left her with 0 escape routes and no other choice but to fight her way through. A choice that would have made her smile any other day of the year, regardless of her sanity.

But instead, she only looked at the one person who still believed in her, the one and only person who had really loved her, and watched as that person was taken from her before she could ever really have her. And it enraged her. Through her bangs, she saw the men dressed as Fire Nation soldiers fighting. This was their fault. Her Ty Lee had gotten hurt because of them. Deep in her throat she growled before letting out a primal scream. Blue fire shot up around her, erupting from the ground and scorching the tops of the ceiling that lay at least 20 feet above her. She stood, carefully placing Ty Lee on her side, as everyone in the room stopped and looked at her. Her golden eyes had not yet left Ty Lee, but when they did, they were filled with such hate and loathing it made everyone in the room cower. "You did this," she hissed.

Zuko feared the worst as he looked his little sister over. Somehow, she seemed worse than she had been during their Agni Kai. Gone were the insanity, the paranoia, and the delusions. Instead, there was rage: pure, unadulterated rage. Before his reign, the children of the Fire Nation were taught that anger was the key to fire bending, and though he knew that not to be true, he feared what this pure amount of rage would do to Azula's already amazing ability. He feared for his life and that of his friends that stood fighting with him, wishing that Aang had had the chance to take her fire bending before Ty Lee interfered. He gulped when she took a slight stance. Not a strong one like he was used to seeing her use or the sloppy one she had used during their Agni Kai, just a very slight, steady stance.

With a flick of her head, her unbound charcoal hair twisting slightly with the force, the soldier that was approaching her from behind was engulfed in blue fire, incinerated within seconds. Her eyes locked onto the two false soldiers closest to her. Without even nodding her head, they were engulfed as well. Aang ran to Katara, to try to protect her from Azula's rage, pulling her into a corner. But the princess was not interested in them. Her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. Stopping the people who were trying to take what was hers. After the tenth soldier fell, the enemy started to run to a door to escape. Zuko stayed exactly where he was, barely breathing. Azula stopped about five feet from him, directly parallel. She continued to incinerate the fake soldiers one by one until the doors opened and what remained of the group was captured by the Fire Nation Royal Guard.

She sighed, a puff of smoke emitting from her lips. Zuko flinched as his sister turned around, trying to prepare himself for whatever attack she was going to use on him. If he was going to die, at least he would die fighting. But nothing happened, no attack came. Azula merely ignored him and walked back to where Ty Lee was laying. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the water peasant the Avatar usually spent his time with, cowering between the Avatar and a wall. If her memory was correct, the peasant was a water bender and water benders healed. "You," she demanded pointing to Katara.

Katara gulped and pushed away from Aang as much as he would let her. "W…what?" The water bending master tried to sound unafraid and cursed to herself when she failed.

Azula ignored the water bender's tone and pointed a blunted finger to Ty Lee. "She needs your help. Go. Now."

Still keeping a watchful eye on the princess, Katara walked with a little speed to her steps over to where Ty Lee lay. She gasped when she saw the wounds and quickly started healing the acrobat. "Azula," Zuko called, grabbing his sister's attention and stopping her momentarily from going to what was hers.

"What is it Zuzu?" she demanded with a mocking grin.

Zuko almost sighed, this was the sister he knew, the cold, calculating monster of a person. He never was quite able to deal with her in the past. But he was Fire Lord now. He had grown up, and he was capable of facing her. So with renewed courage, he looked straight into Azula's hard golden eyes, determined not to show her any weakness. She said nothing as she glanced back towards Ty Lee, who had groaned. She had more important things to worry about than his wounded ego. "Azula," he said calmly with an air of superiority that she instantly didn't like. "How are you feeling?"

A charcoal eyebrow lifted at his question. Of all the things he could have asked, could have said, that was it? Seriously? She rolled her eyes, "Well, despite all of your so called 'help'," she sneered, "I suppose I'm alright."

The princess crossed her arms over the tattered dull red of her outfit and smirked when his eyes hardened. "Do you know why you were summoned to me today?"

"Now how would I know that, Zuzu? Those drugs you ordered them to give kept me barely conscious."

He tensed, and again, she knew she had gotten to him. He was so easy to read. "You were crazy," he defended. "You could have hurt someone."

"And I suppose locking me in a cell I could barely fit in, away from any other form of human contact, made me all better, didn't it?"

She couldn't remember much about her time in that cell. Only that it was cold and dark, and she couldn't stand without hitting her head on the metal bars. Not that the chains she was bound by allowed her such actions. Most of those days were crowded with delusions. The times she could remember were only when Ty Lee visited, even those were scarce memories. She only knew that she had gotten a little better after she was moved out of that cell and into a bigger more elaborate one in the sanitarium. But that didn't mean she wouldn't use it to her advantage.

"Regardless…" the Fire Lord intoned.

"Of course," Azula interrupted, her smirk hidden behind a mask of disgust. "Do you think mother would be proud of the way you've treated me, your own little sister?" She knew the comment would hit a large nerve in her brother, and he tensed visibly. "After all you locked me up for Agni only knows how long and never once did you send a doctor to help me. All I had was Ty Lee and, regardless for the reason I was brought here, she was hurt because of your incompetence and lack of skill. I was the one who had to save her and the whole lot of you. I, who only a few moments ago was so messed up on drugs I couldn't even focus on who was in the room, had to save your life!" The princess' tone raised a slight octave in anger. "You owe me. Now if you don't mind. I have more important things to do than stand around here talking about your shortcomings."

With that she turned her back to her brother and calmly walked over to where Ty Lee was stirring. The Avatar walked up to his friend and patted him on the back slightly as they both watched Azula kneel beside Ty Lee. "What do you want to do now?" Aang asked.

"She's still too dangerous," Zuko answered. "You saw what she did."

Aang nodded. "Yeah, but she stopped once the doors opened, and for whatever reason, she seems to be back to normal. You should talk to her first. Maybe there's another way and the two of you can come to some kind of compromise."

Zuko looked at his friend in disbelief for a moment. "You're afraid to take her bending away," he noted.

The Avatar blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Well now that she's sane…I don't know if my will is stronger than hers. And did you see what she did to those people? It was like poof and they were gone. I don't even know what happened to the chains she was in. Have you ever seen another firebender do something like that? Or even heard of someone doing it in legends or fairytales or something?" Zuko was silent, not about to admit that he had heard a legend about a Firebender who could incinerate a person just by looking at them. "She's probably protected by the gods or something." Zuko tensed when Aang finished that last sentence.

"Why would Agni protect her?" Zuko wondered under his breath, frowning because Aang had guessed right. "I just don't get it."

"Don't get what?" Aang asked.

"Why she's so lucky," Zuko answered as Katara walked up to them.

"Maybe she has a greater purpose," Aang offered, though it didn't make Zuko feel any better.

"You know she can hear every word you guys are saying, right?" Katara deadpanned, pointing over to Azula with her thumb.

Azula smirked from her position on the floor, holding a sleeping Ty Lee in her arms, as her brother and the Avatar gawked at her. As the throne room was built to do, (what with its high ceilings, strategically curved walls, and pretty much large open floor) voices carried very well, just like the theater on Ember Island. Being Fire Lord, he should have known that, but Azula wasn't surprised that he didn't and only rolled her eyes at his stupidity. She looked down at Ty Lee's placid face, brushing some of the dust that had managed to float over to her off her cheek. Azula knew as well as Zuko, probably even better than Zuko, the legends of the greatest Fire bender ever. The only one capable of doing what she had done only seconds before, take a human life by fire with only a look. The God of Fire, Agni.

She wasn't so narcissistic and conceited to think that she was some sort of reincarnation of the god. And why the god of fire wanted to aid her now, she didn't know. But if a God was willing to protect her, she wasn't going to complain. Though, she would definitely use that information against her brother; especially if he planned to take her bending. "Zuko, what happened?" Mai's monotone voice cut through her thought process like a hot knife through butter and Azula looked up at her sister-in-law. She guessed based on the robes the assassin wore.

The Fire Nation princess pulled Ty Lee to her as a group of real guards made a loose circle around her. Zuko intervened, telling his wife that he would tell her everything that happened later, as he walked over to the circle. Azula glared at him, but he ignored it. He was used to that. "We need to discuss where to go from here." She only nodded.

Back then, after her 'talk' with her brother, she hadn't thought she was so lucky. She was 'allowed' to keep her bending under the pretense of a sort of reward for saving the Fire Lord's life. The real reason for her keeping her bending being that the Avatar had all but outright refused to do it, not wanting to anger the god that protected her – a fact that made her smile. But it was made very clear that if she tried anything to take the throne, that was rightfully hers in her mind, the reward would be quickly taken back. Zuko had then banished her to their vacation home on Ember Island to continue to 'recover'. Well, she considered it banishment at the time, a way to get her away from the Fire Lord just in case she tried anything. Guards were placed around the perimeter at all times, and she knew a few of them followed her whenever she went out, constantly watching. Then there were the doctors who would come by every other day to check her mental status. She did everything she could think of to get on their nerves, to break them. It took three doctors before they finally realized she was saying the things she was to give them a hard time. At least, she assumed that was the case, seeing as her fourth doctor stayed with her through the rest of her 'recovery'.

She had to admit that her time there hadn't been so bad. She did get to go through all of Mai's things and take what she wanted, which infuriated the Fire Lady to no end. And she couldn't do anything about it since Zuko had stupidly told Azula that she could have anything in the house. And of course once Ty Lee had woken from the skirmish – what Azula had called the battle – and found out what was going on, she insisted on going with Azula. Zuko had tried to persuade the acrobat not to, to stay in the capital until Azula returned. But Ty Lee would hear none of that and basically told him that she was going and there was nothing he could say, short of ordering her, to make her stay. That helped make her banishment much better. Since she was sane and thinking clearly without all those drugs, which she concluded had been burned out of her system when Agni aided her in the skirmish, she could process what she was feeling for that silly little girl. That private beach on the estate would always hold fantastic memories.

Now, looking out over the garden from the balcony of her room, she realized that she really was lucky. She still lived in the palace, was still the princess of the Fire Nation, still had her bending, was mentally healthy, was married to a wonderful, hapless romantic of a woman, and, most surprising of all, had a daughter who surpassed all of her expectations. Aside from being Fire Lord, there was nothing more she could ask for. But she knew becoming Fire Lord would never happen and had long since given up on it.

She did have to wonder why Agni only helped her that one time and never again or before. Azula knew what her higher purpose was now. It was her daughter. But she probably would have dated or at least done something with Ty Lee had she lost her bending. So there really was no reason for Agni to interfere in that skirmish. The Avatar and his peasant and her brother would have eventually defeated those poor excuses for assassins. At the least held them at bay till the guards broke down the door. Besides, according to what she understood of her daughter's former life, which still wasn't much since the girl didn't have many memories of that time, none of the gods knew she was being reborn. So Agni shouldn't have known her 'greater purpose' anyways.

A knock on the glass pane of the balcony doors drew her attention from her thoughts. She turned and, as she expected, her daughter stood at the doors, silent as ever. The child's golden eyes looked up into hers and Azula smiled slightly. "You should be asleep," Azula chided, half expecting the ten-year-old to argue with her.

Instead, Detia shrugged. 'Can I join you?' the mental voice of the girl, which Azula had long since gotten used to, rang through her head.

Azula motioned for Detia to join her, and the girl did, leaning against the balcony looking out over the distance to the main city. The princess watched the girl for a while, her long white hair unbound, a bright contrast against her crimson silk pajamas, and twirling freely in the slight wind, the soft rays of the moon casting the crème highlights of her hair blue. She had just returned home with her cousins earlier that day from the Academy. There had been a banquet for their return for the winter solstice, and as was normal, many people had attended. Even though she was getting better with her mental abilities, staying around more than thirty people for more than an hour still hurt Detia, and she had left the party early, opting to go to the garden to meditate. Not that that surprised anyone, after ten years it was almost expected. But that was where Ty Lee and Azula had found her, and they had their little family bonding moment.

That's where Detia asked them if it was okay if she slept with them, because she missed them so much. Ty Lee agreed without hesitation, never once breaking her hug on the slim child. It was no secret that Detia hated the Fire Nation Academy for Girls; she had almost burned the building down her first year there. After five years of going, she still had made no friends. She had tried the first year but being unable to communicate with them stopped most of the other kids from trying. And the ones who did try were only trying because of her social status. It didn't help matters when she was forced to train with the teenage boys because her 'Firebending' techniques were so advanced. Not that anyone was surprised, considering who her mother was.

Because of all of this, her parents knew that school was rough for her. She was alienated and alone. Azula could sympathize, and as long as Detia kept up her grades, which she never fell behind on anyways, Azula was not opposed to allowing Detia to sleep with them the first week after she came home, to show her daughter that there were people who did love her, though Azula would never ever admit that out loud. And she always acted annoyed when Detia asked but told her it was okay. She didn't have to say it anyways; Detia could read minds after all.

Of course, the fact that they had almost lost the little girl not too long ago was still fresh in Azula and Ty Lee's minds. Ty Lee constantly worried about her daughter when she was at school, which is half the reason why the acrobat did not hesitate to allow her child to sleep with them. That was also part of Azula's reasoning, though she would only admit it to her wife.

"Is something bothering you?" Azula finally asked, placing a hand on the girl's far shoulder and pulling her closer.

Detia smiled at the rare show of affection and happily leaned into her mother. 'Not really,' The girl answered. 'You were just thinking so loud.' Azula frowned at her daughter's smug face and pinched her arm. Detia yelped then chuckled as she rubbed her arm but did not pull away from Azula. She'd take whatever affection Azula would allow her for as long as possible. 'You really were,' she whined, knowing that Azula hated it when she whined.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stop that," Azula warned.

Detia smiled but nodded. 'You were wrong though,' Azula lifted an eyebrow. 'About Agni. She knew I had chosen you.'

"She?" Azula questioned.

Detia's nose crinkled, remembering that the Agni Azula had seen was male. 'It's not really a gender thing. The god's form is subjective. Right now, Agni is female, but in the past, she was male.'

"I see," the princess remarked. "That's interesting. So, I guess that means you have a male form." Azula laughed at the disgust on her daughter's face. "Forget I asked." There was a slight pause. "So how did he know, and how do you know that he did?"

Detia thought for a second. 'Not from my own memories. Agni was there when you made your promise to me. I recognized her in your memory. You didn't notice because she was standing behind you in the corner, and when you were a child, you were focused on me. That's who I was looking at in the dream, though it looked like I was looking at you."

Azula was silent as she let her little monster's words sink in. "Then why did he interfere during the skirmish? I would probably still be with Ty Lee if I didn't have my bending. And even if I wasn't, as long as you were my daughter what difference would it make who I was with?"

Detia sighed and shook her head. 'The world doesn't revolve around you, you know.'

"Like hell it doesn't," Azula quickly denied. "But just for argument's sake, why do you say that?"

'I was doing some research on my family tree a while ago. And according to my memory, every millionth-ish generation will have strong lightning-bender abilities. There's no question that you have these abilities. But so does mommy. She can't bend, obviously. But she can read people very well, see auras, has nearly perfect control of her body, and block chakras, all of which are abilities of my people. I needed two people with strong blood in order to be born. I need both you and mommy. And that day during the skirmish, mommy was injured. Had the fight continued without Agni lending you her abilities, mommy would have died before the water peasant could heal her. You would have lost your ability to bend fire. Not that it would have mattered because you would have ended up ending your life a week later.'

Azula watched her daughter, her expression grim and disbelieving. "Really? Ty Lee would have died." She couldn't imagine her life without her Ty Lee. She probably would have tried to end her life.

Detia shrugged, 'I don't know. It sounded good though.'

Promptly Azula smacked the back of her little monster's head. "You little monster. Don't tell me such a thing like that then tell me you made it all up." She pushed the little girl away slightly. "I can't believe you."

Detia chuckled lightly at her mother's reaction, making sure to not let the older woman hear her. 'That was my best guess,' the girl replied. 'Truth is, I don't know what prompts Agni to do anything. She could have interfered for any number of reasons, because she was bored, or doesn't like Uncle Zuko, or likes you more than Uncle Zuko, was tired of watching you be crazy, is against stripping someone of their bending without their permission. But because the world really does revolve around me, I figured that the reason I gave was the most logical.'

"Does it now?" Azula questioned with a lifted eyebrow, shaking her head slightly when the little monster looked at her innocently and nodded.

Azula really couldn't be angry since the little monster got most of her attitude from her. They were so much alike that it often made Azula – and Mai and Zuko – sigh. Ty Lee thought it was endearing.

'Besides,' Detia started again. 'With the wounds I saw in your memory, if Katara hadn't been there mommy would have died. One of those things was lodged in pretty deep, more than likely nicked a valve to her heart.'

"Well, good thing that didn't happen. I don't know what I'd do without your mommy," Azula replied, twining her fingers together as she leaned against the railing.

'Me neither,' Detia agreed, unconsciously mimicking her mother.

'Just don't tell her I said that," they chorused then smiled at how alike their minds were.

"Aw, you two are so cute." Both tensed at the voice coming from behind them.

'Why didn't you say anything?' Azula thought to her daughter.

Detia shook her head slightly, 'I didn't hear her.'

"What?" the Princess questioned. "How could not hear her? You hear everything."

"It's not that," Ty Lee offered, squeezing into the slight space between her two favorite girls. "She always hears me, like she always hears you," Ty Lee continued. "So if I keep my thoughts simple and she thinks I'm asleep, I can sneak up on her." The acrobat placed a slender arm around Detia's shoulders, the other snaking around Azula's waist. She kissed her child's forehead and Azula's cheek. "I can't do it very often, sometimes I get lucky," she finished with a smile. "So, what were we talking about?" The two were silent. "Alright then." Ty Lee said after a beat. "How was school?"

Detia sighed but smiled slightly. 'I may have made two friends,' the ten-year old thought to her parents, both of which gasped in surprise.

"You did!" Ty Lee squealed. "That's fantastic!"

"Why didn't you invite them to the banquet?" Azula asked.

'I did. They said they couldn't come. But made it clear that it wasn't because of me, they just had other things to do,' Detia answered as her mommy hugged her tightly.

"This is great news! Tell us about them." Ty Lee all but demanded.

A slight red tint crossed the girl's cheeks as she smiled. 'Well, they're exchange students from the new program Uncle Zuko initiated last week and…'

The loud hard crash of the door to the room being forced opened interrupted Detia as four heavily armed guards came into the room. "What is the meaning of this?" Azula demanded as they came back into the room.

"Princess Azula," one guard addressed. "You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Fire Lord Zuko. Please come without resistance."

"What? I did no such thing," Azula argued.

"Please come with us," the guard repeated.

"Azula," Ty Lee whimpered, tugging the sleeve of her wife's outfit.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the worried expression on her wife and the confused expression of her daughter. 'Go with them,' Detia's voice echoed. 'We'll figure this out. There's no reason to start a fight.'

Azula sighed, her hawk eyes glaring at the guards. "Fine," she said, raising her hands in surrender. "Take me away."

"Azula, no!" Ty Lee cried lightly, attempting to follow her wife only to be stopped by a few guards.

'Comfort your mother,' the princess thought to her daughter.

Detia nodded and pulled her mommy into a hug. 'This won't last long,' Detia promised as her mother was ushered out of the room.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Of Fire

Chapter 18

Fear. It was the first thing she felt when she saw the cell they placed her in, overwhelming, all- consuming fear. She wanted to yell, to scream, to resist as they put her in it. But she didn't. She would not give them that satisfaction, absolutely refused to do that. Her breathing did elevate a little, not enough for the guards to notice, as they locked the door to the cold dank dungeon cell. This particular cell was not one she had stayed in before, the small differences giving her much needed comfort, but the vague memories of that time still haunted her. The smell of dried and fresh blood mingling with the dirt and mold was as fresh as if she was still in that cell so long ago. Once the door was locked tight, Azula began mediating, imagining herself back in her room with her daughter and wife and not in this cold wet prison. All she could do now was wait, knowing that her wife and child were doing everything in their power to get to the bottom of this.

~x~

Detia felt the fear her mother was feeling as she walked down the halls of the palace with purpose, each step weighing heavily against the tiled floor but no sound echoed off the wall. Ty Lee had run out of the room the instant the guards left, drying her tears as went. She could hear her Mommy arguing with the guards in front of Zuko's study, where the Fire Lord was currently holding a small meeting. Ty Lee was by no means quiet in her demands to enter, the people in the room not saying a word as they listened.

She could see it in her mommy's eyes when the older woman came into view. Ty Lee had every intention of dropping the guards in front of her and from the look in their eyes they knew it. They actually sighed when Detia placed a hand on her mommy's shoulder and silently told her, 'Let me handle this.'

Of course, when the child's golden glare – the same exact glare as her Mother's – was turned to them they went rigid again, being temporarily paralyzed was way better than being permanently scarred. A second later they couldn't remember why they had moved from in front of the door. Their superiors would ask and ask but no reason was forth coming. They simply moved out of the way and allowed the two to enter. The surprised look on Zuko's face when Detia, followed by a confused but still angry Ty Lee, entered the room would have amused Detia, but more pressing matters were at hand. The lightning bender nodded to the blind Earth Queen who sat in front of Zuko, silently acknowledging her, and eyeing her aunt, who stood behind Zuko.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zuko demanded, the fresh bandage on his face hiding the recent cut.

"We could ask you the same!" Ty Lee interjected, stepping in front of her daughter. "Why did the guards barge into my room and take my wife to the dungeon?"

The Fire Lord sighed, eyeing his ten year old niece. "This is not a conversation we should have with a child present."

"This is exactly a conversation we should have with a child present," Ty Lee argued as she stormed towards her brother-in-law, Toph quickly moving out of the way, and slammed her hands on his desk. "She was in the room when they took Azula away, Zuko."

His eyes widened in shock as he eyed his niece, who stood behind her mommy placidly, reading his mind. Though, he didn't know that. "I'm sorry you had to see that Detia," he said sincerely.

'If you're sorry, let me talk to the assassin,' Detia suggested, walking up to the desk, her hands hidden in her sleeves.

"The assassin?" Ty Lee questioned, "What assassin?"

'The assassin that attempted to kill Uncle Zuko,' Detia informed. 'Let me talk to him.'

Zuko sighed, intertwining his fingers, "I'm sorry Detia. But you are just a child. I don't want to get you involved."

'But I can read his mind!' Detia's voice yelled in his head like a sharp pain. 'I can tell who really ordered him to try to kill you!'

"That's why I asked Toph to come here. She can tell if someone is lying," Zuko answered and Mai nodded.

"That's not valid!" Ty Lee argued. "Both Detia and Azula can lie to Toph. Who's to say that others can't as well? No offense, Toph."

"None taken," Toph replied, sitting back and watching the scene unfold.

"It's not likely he'll be able to lie under the conditions we're putting him under," Zuko informed. The images of the bloodied beaten form of the would-be assassin chained to a chair in a room with no windows coming unbidden to his mind. "I'm seriously standing firm with my decision not to get Detia involved in this further. She's only a child."

Ty Lee sighed. She could understand that and really didn't want her child to get involved further. The acrobat turned to her child, "Detia, I agree… where'd she go?" finding the room empty of her daughter.

"She left just a second ago," Toph informed. "I can't tell where she's heading. Light as air, that kid."

"Okay," Ty Lee remarked, slightly confused as she turned back to Zuko. "Now that she's gone, tell me what happened."

~x~

Detia walked down the cold corridors of the secret passageway that lead to the dungeon. Unfortunately, the exit of the secret passageway was at the entrance of the dungeon, which was littered with guards. But with her new found abilities she easily walked past them. They didn't even try to stop her. 'Mother,' Detia's voice called, as she reached her mother's cell and found the princess sitting in the middle of the empty cell meditating.

Azula's golden eyes opened to find the guard handing her daughter the keys to her cell. She lifted her eyebrow in curiosity, half wondering if she was still meditating or even sleeping. Detia smirked and opened the cell, taking the key to the cell off the ring before handing it back to the guard. "What…" Azula started but stopped when Detia placed a hand to her own lips, telling her to be quiet. 'What just happened?' Azula inquired, gesturing slightly to the pocket Detia put the key in.

'He handed me the key,' Detia answered.

'I saw that. Why?' Azula inquired, thankfully finding that her daughter's presence alone was making her feel so much better.

Detia smiled as she walked to her mother, keeping the door to the cell open, and sat down in her lap despite the fact that she was ten. 'I learned to make people do what I want without them even knowing at school.'

Azula chuckled, pulling her daughter into a hug, glad for the familiar presence and not minding the slight weight. 'Interesting, I don't remember learning anything like that in school.'

'My friends taught me how, kinda,' Detia answered. 'You know the ones I was talking about earlier.'

Azula nodded. 'I remember. How did that happen?'

'They snuck into my room late at night,' Detia began. 'And we were talking, they were talking out loud, and a teacher knocked on the door. They told me to make her not see them. I thought they were crazy, but after some coaxing, I tried it. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.'

'What did you do?' Azula inquired, truly surprised by her child's new ability.

'I found the part of her brain that connected to her eyes and manipulated the image she saw. I practiced all during the past year. Making people see things that aren't there and making them not see things that are. I can do other things too,' Detia admitted, glancing up at her mother's impressed expression and smiling.

'Like what?' Azula asked, the conversation distracting her from her surroundings.

'I can make anyone do whatever I want and they won't remember a thing. I can even do it with large groups.'

'That's an interesting ability,' Azula admitted. 'And you can do it to anyone?'

'I can. But I don't like to; it's not honorable. I'd rather talk someone into making them do what I want, so they know that they were doing it for me, rather than not knowing why they did something.' She paused, feeling her mother nod in understanding. 'But in this case, I think this way is better. Causes less problems.' Azula nodded, impressed, but the sudden silence reminded her of where she was. 'An assassin tried to kill Uncle Zuko. The assassin is being questioned again. He keeps saying you hired him. And Toph confirms he's telling the truth.'

"I didn't do it." Azula said. 'You know that, right?'

'I know, Mom. I know. I looked through his head while I was walking down there, even though Uncle Zuko and Mommy don't want me involved any further.'

'Like they could stop you,' Azula smiled, uncharacteristically kissing the top her daughter's head.

'I know right,' Detia laughed. 'But anyways, he truly does believe that you hired him. So, I looked deeper and the last thing he remembered before you supposedly hired him to kill Uncle Zuko was a bunch of flashing lights and sitting in a chair where he couldn't move. I'm guessing he was brainwashed.'

Azula nodded, her mind going directly to Long Feng and his brainwashing techniques. 'No one would believe you if you did try to tell them.'

Detia frowned, it was true. 'What are we going to do?' the lightning bender asked and Azula sighed.

'I don't know,' Azula admitted. 'But you should probably try to tell Toph what you know.'

'She already knows,' Detia admitted. 'I told her what I found when I found it. She said she'd look into it, but I doubt she'll find anything before Zuko dishes out your punishment. And even if she does manage to halt it, you'll be here until then.'

Azula sighed, 'I've been in a worse cell than this. I'll survive.'

Detia mimicked her mother's expression. 'I know, but I don't like you down here. And neither does Mommy.'

'Well, I don't like it either,' Azula admitted. 'But I don't know what other option we have.' The lightning bender leaned back against her mother, exhaling deeply and for a while there was only silence. Azula glanced around the small cell. It was bigger than the one she somewhat remembered during the early days of her insanity, but it was still a cell. She didn't know what she would do to stop herself from thinking about her surroundings and the unconscious memories that could suddenly resurface. Though she tried not to admit it, she feared that this type of solitude would drive her back into insanity.

'I could tell you a story,' Detia offered and looked up at her mother.

'What kind of story?' Azula asked, willing to try just about anything to stop herself from thinking about everything that was going on. Her life was going so well up until this point.

Detia ignored her mother's thoughts and answered, 'A story about the Origin of the Gods.'

'When did you learn that?' Azula asked.

The lightning bender hesitated. 'After I was struck by lightning while I was sleeping I had a conversation with my former self. She told me.'

'And you didn't think that information was pertinent to us.'

'Not really,' Detia admitted, wrapping her hand in her mother's so Azula wouldn't pull away from her. 'It was mostly idle chit chat. Though, when the Avatar showed up that was funny.'

'I bet it was,' Azula agreed, chuckling lightly. 'So, tell me about this origin.'

Detia smiled and started her tale, 'Well, a long, long time ago, before history was history…'

"Azula?" Ty Lee's confused tone interrupted them, her eyes puffy but dry, and she looked so tired. "What's going on?" she asked, touching the open cell door and looking at the guard who had yet to move. "What happened to all the guards? None of them moved at all while I just walked past."

Detia raised her hand sheepishly, 'That's my fault.'

"What?" Ty Lee and Azula chorused.

'Shh,' Detia whispered, putting a finger over her lips. 'Their minds are on a loop, and they don't see people that pass them. But loud noises will snap them out of it.'

Ty Lee nodded, too worn out to really be impressed. Azula, though, was highly impressed and patted her daughter on her head. She would have said something, but the expression on her wife's face was enough to make her worry. "Ty Lee?" Azula questioned lightly as the acrobat numbly walked into the cell, nearly falling on her knees in front of Azula and Detia, hugging them both. "Ty Lee?" Detia moved out from the grip and watched as her mother took Ty Lee into her arms and the acrobat started to sob. "Ty Lee, answer me."

"Tell me you didn't do it," Ty Lee whispered. "Just tell me it wasn't you."

Azula frowned at the implication that her wife might not believe her. "I didn't do it, Ty Lee. I have too much to lose." Ty Lee nodded, that's all she needed to hear. "What happened?"

Choking back a sob, Ty Lee gripped tighter onto her wife. "He wants to get this over with quickly. They've already decided what to do with you."

"They?"

"Zuko and his counsel," Ty Lee managed as Azula rubbed her back. "You broke the contract."

Azula swallowed roughly and nodded, quickly hiding her thoughts from her daughter. It had been a long time since that deal was forged between her and Zuko, but the details of it she would never forget. And she did not want her child to know what breaking that contract meant. At the very least, she'd have to leave the Fire Nation, where she'd go she didn't know. But she could more than likely easily convince Zuko to allow Detia to stay in the palace until she graduated from the academy. She only had two years – that was two less than every other child in the school. She could live two years without her daughter, maybe less if Detia actually applied herself. Trying to convince Ty Lee to stay would be impossible, not that she wanted to be without the acrobat at her side. Convincing Detia would probably be just as hard. But she was the parent, and Detia would listen to her - hopefully.

She kissed Ty Lee's head forcing back her own tears. The last thing Azula wanted was to leave her daughter. "We'll get through this, okay. You'll see it won't be that bad. Did he tell you when?"

"Tomorrow morning," Ty Lee answered, her grip tightening.

'You blocked me,' Detia interrupted, tugging the sleeve of her mother's robe. 'What's going on? What contract?'

Azula grabbed her daughter and pulled her into the hug. 'Don't worry about it,' Azula thought. 'We'll talk about it later.'

Detia didn't press the matter, even though she really wanted to, and held onto her parents tightly, feeling that she might not see them for a while after tomorrow.

BAM! The door to the cell being closed suddenly broke the trio apart and woke the guards from their stupor, all three stared at the door but only one knew what had happened. 'Uncle Zuko's coming.' Detia answered their unasked question.

"Azula!" his voice boomed through the empty halls as he and his entourage made their way to the front of the cell. He paused when he saw all the family together, his eyes softening as he looked at his niece who clung to her mother. He really hated to do this to her, his niece that is. Azula had broken their contract and he felt justified with the actions he was going to take. "How did you get in here?" he asked, speaking to Detia and Ty Lee.

'We walked,' was Detia's reply, as she glared at her uncle, who was also somehow blocking her from reading his thoughts.

How Zuko learned that ability she would never know, but she didn't like it. She was fine with Azula and Ty Lee knowing, they were her parents. But Zuko had no right to know. The Fire Lord frowned at Detia's cross expression, so much like Azula's. "Azula, you know what this means, correct?"

Azula nodded and said, "It wasn't me, Zuko." Even though she didn't doubt that he wouldn't believe her.

He didn't say anything and turned, "I'll see you in the morning."

~x~

The morning came quicker than anyone wanted. Ty Lee had stayed with Azula till morning when the guards came to get her. Detia had left momentarily to see if she could find out any new information from anyone but had returned when she came up empty handed. She had found out from a guard that the Avatar had arrived at the palace. But that wasn't something she thought was useful, so she didn't mention it.

The Fire Lord had ordered Detia not to be around when Azula was formally cuffed, forced onto her knees, her wrists and collar bound into thick heavy bands of metal. The bands would be suspended from stone pillars in the throne room, forcing her arms into the air and the core of being easily accessible. Detia watched as all of this was taking place, even though if she was found she would be forced to leave. She hated it, but she understood that her mother was a dangerous person and needed to be bound properly, or she could escape. So Detia stayed quiet and hid herself from the eyes of everyone, except her mother.

Azula only caught glimpses of Detia as she was bound, but just knowing that she was there made her feel better. Though, she knew it shouldn't. Her daughter was watching her mother being bound and punished for no reason, after all. But Detia was a strong child, and Azula was not worried about whatever psychological trauma it might cause her, even though she probably should be. As she was moved into the throne room where her punishment would be handed to her, Detia followed silently. Ty Lee was already in the throne room, pleading desperately with her brother-in-law to reconsider. However, Zuko would hear none of it. Not that Azula or Ty Lee believed he would, but they had to try.

Detia watched as the Avatar approached Azula as her arms were spread. He glanced around the room nervously, fiddling with his hands – his thoughts indicating that he was looking for the young lightning bender. "I'm sorry," he whispered and looked at Zuko, who nodded.

Azula hung her head slightly, thinking of no way to get out of this situation, as she felt Aang place one of his hands on her sternum and one on her forehead. A single tear escaped its prison and Aang apologized again. Light filled their bodies, blue for him and red for her, both even. Slowly, the blue started to consume her. Detia watched, her breathing labored and heartbeat erratic as memories of an old art, long forgotten, and highly forbidden when it was known, flashed through her mind. The blue light reached Azula's neck and suddenly Aang was sliding down the far wall, sparks of white electricity bouncing off his body as the word "No!" reverberated off the arched walls.

Azula slumped against her chains, unable to keep her breathing under control as the red light faded from her. She had expected a lot of things when she was stripped of her bending, but she hadn't prepared herself for the physical pain. A pain so strong it prevented her from moving and the emptiness inside, like a part of her had been stolen. When the weight of the metal bands disappeared and she slumped against the stone pillar, she didn't even have the energy to look up and see what was going on, but she was aware of the metal dust that fell like harmless sparkling snow around her. But she did feel Ty Lee's familiar, much needed, embrace and heard her voice telling her everything would be okay.

But when Zuko exclaimed, "Detia!" both Ty Lee and Azula looked at him.

He was sitting on his throne about the stand. Until a young demanding female voice commanded, "Sit down!"

The couple watched in amazement as Zuko was thrust into his throne, his hands clamped down onto the arms by an invisible force. He struggled against the nonexistence restraints but could not move. "Detia what is the meaning of this?" He demanded, glaring at his niece and drawing Azula and Ty Lee's attention to the child suddenly standing in the middle of the room, her open-palmed hand directed at Zuko.

Her golden eyes turned to her uncle, burning cold. "Did you think I was just going to stand there and let you rape my mother!" Her physical voice echoed in the silent hall.

He struggled again but the invisible restraints were not giving. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "We were doing no such thing. Release me now!"

"Shut up!" Detia's cold tone exclaimed, pushing her hand closer to him and shoving him into the back of his chair. "You know nothing of Soul Bending! Its very nature is to rape a person's soul, forcibly take something that is not anyone's to take. In some situations the technique is warranted, but this is not one of them. You thrust that pain upon my mother when she is innocent."

"Detia, you leave me no choice. I really don't want to do this. Guards! Restrain my niece," he yelled and turned back to the ten-year-old as the Royal Fire Nation Guards approached her. "Just release me and I'll…" he stopped in stunned stupor as his personal guards were thrown against the wall by the same invisible force that bound him.

Any other day Detia would have smirked, but given the situation, she only glared at her Uncle. "Your guards are no match for me. I am a Goddess! And one of my many abilities is to control any metal that can be magnetized. That includes the iron in your blood."

Zuko's eyes hardened, his mind unable to latch on to her true ability. So, it latched on to little facts. "You attacked the Avatar," he stated, trying to calm himself as he watched Aang try to stand.

"He's lucky I didn't kill him," Detia countered, not even bothering to look at the Avatar. "In my former life if I learned someone was using Soul Bending like he was going to use it, I would not have hesitated to kill them. I would hunt them down and destroy their very being."

He sighed, giving up on struggling and tried to think of a way to reason with his irate ten-year-old niece. "Detia," he started, "I know she's your mother, and as such, I can see how this would offend you and make you feel the need to aid her. But you only see the good in her…"

"You are mistaken Uncle," Detia said with such clarity it had to be true. "The Assassin was sent by Long Feng and his flunkies. Toph just confirmed it. She's dealing with them as we speak. You were so eager to believe that she would betray you that you reacted before getting all the facts and ended up betraying her. Some brother you turned out to be." The remark shot like a hot dagger into his heart, making him flinch and doubt his course of action. "She had nothing to gain from killing you. The throne would not be hers if she only killed you," the girl reasoned. "You had to know that, and you punished her anyways."

"Detia," Azula managed, finding it harder to breathe than she liked, and getting her child's attention. "You can talk."

Detia looked at her mother and smiled as Ty Lee helped her to her feet. Her smile vanished instantly as she turned to her uncle. "We will be leaving the Fire Nation. You will provide us a fully stocked ship, and let us leave without incident."

"No," Azula interjected, stumbling slightly. "School…you have to finish," she managed, breathing heavily.

"If I need to finish school, I can do so in the Earth Kingdom," Detia informed as she approached her mother and hugged her tightly. She felt Azula lean most of her weight on her and the significant drop of her body temperature.

"When did you learn to talk?" Azula asked, trying her best to ignore the emptiness that was chilling her very being, using both her wife and daughter as crutches as they lead her back to her room.

Detia only smiled and called back to Zuko. "Get them ready, uncle."

Zuko sighed and slumped in the throne as the invisible force disappeared, his guards crashing to the floor. "Well, that didn't go like you hoped," Aang said, limping his way over to Zuko. "She had a point, though."

"Shut up," Zuko growled.

~x~

Detia helped Ty Lee place Azula in her bed. "Sleep, Mom. When you wake up, we'll be leaving to the Earth Kingdom."

"You're okay with that?" Azula asked as she touched her daughter's arm. "What about your friends?"

Detia frowned slightly, she had forgotten all about them. "Don't worry about that. I'll come up with something. And I don't mind leaving the Fire Nation. I always wanted to travel anyways."

Azula smiled, patted her daughter's cheek, and closed her eyes. When her breathing evened out, Detia turned to her Mommy, who had sat back and watched the transaction. For a second, they stared at each other before Ty Lee embraced her in warm hug. "Oh, sweetheart I'm sorry you had to see all of that. And you had to intervene."

"It's okay. I couldn't let him hurt her like that. She's not completely unscathed, though."

"Baby, I know. You're such a good girl. But it's you I'm worried about. Uprooting you like this, making you leave just as you found some friends," Ty Lee informed, tightening her hug on her daughter.

'I don't want to be here, honestly. Not that I don't love this place. I just feel like I belong somewhere else,' Detia said silently so only Ty Lee could hear her. 'I'd rather go to school in the Earth Kingdom. Don't tell Mom, though.'

Ty Lee chuckled. "All right then, oh great goddess," she said as she let Detia go, hearing her child chuckle. "Go get packed. Apparently, we'll be leaving soon." Detia nodded and left the room to go to hers. Ty Lee watched her leave then turned to Azula. Without any thought, Ty Lee crawled onto the bed and pulled her lover against her, aware of the lack of body heat coming from Azula. "Azula," Ty Lee whispered.

"Hm," Azula answered, knowing that Ty Lee could tell that she was only partially asleep.

"We're going to the Earth Kingdom. Probably Ba Sing Se, where Toph is."

"I know," Azula answered.

"Did you hear what our daughter said?" Ty Lee asked, wrapping her arms around Azula's waist and laying her head on her shoulder.

The princess nodded. "She wants to travel."

"We could make a trip of it; go through Kyoshi and journey through the Earth Kingdom to get to Ba Sing Se, like we did when we were younger."

For a second, Azula thought, in her mind a map of the planet popping up. "Kyoshi's kind of out of the way. Don't you think?"

"Omashu then?" Ty Lee offered.

Azula nodded, that sounded more plausible. "If we get there in enough time, we could probably go to one of the poles. She doesn't need to go to school anyways."

Ty Lee giggled. "Yeah, you're probably right. She's always telling us how bored she is at school, but she makes the top grades." A knock on the door drew them from their temporary silence. "Come in," Ty Lee called as Azula feigned sleep.

"I'm sorry to intrude." A random guard bowed deeply as he came in, not going far from the door. "The Fire Lord would like to inform you that a ship will be ready at the docks by noon."

Ty Lee nodded. "You may leave. Inform my daughter."

He nodded, not telling her that someone was already informing Detia, and simply left the room.

~x~

Detia walked around room, debating on what she would need and what she wanted to bring. She had clearly heard her parents discuss the prospect of a journey through the Earth Kingdom and was very excited about it. Though, one would not be able to tell by merely watching her. She figured that most of their things would ship directly to Ba Sing Se, and as such, she packed three bags already with things she wanted to ship there. The bag she was currently packing was one that strapped over her shoulder and she could easily carry. So far, the only thing she had in it was a water skin Yue had given her last year, a couple of changes of clothes, and she had no idea what else to bring.

"Detia," a meek, young female voice that she recognized said from the door, knocking slightly.

Detia turned to find her favorite cousin standing meekly at the open door, her hands behind her back, Ursa and Lu Ten standing behind her. 'Ezra, Ursa, Lu, what are you guys up to?'

"Are you really leaving?" Ezra questioned, moving closer to her favorite cousin, her only cousin, and tugging lightly on her sleeve.

Detia frowned lightly, 'Yes, I am.'

Lu Ten stepped up, his expression uncharacteristically serious and sad. He approached his younger cousin, breathing in deeply, before hugging her. "You'll come back, right?"

The initial shock of the sudden contact wore off quickly, and Detia shook her head, 'I don't know,' she pulled away from him. 'I'm only going to Ba Sing Se. You three can come and visit.'

They nodded in unison as Lu Ten pulled out a sheathed dagger and presented it to her. "You remember that knife I found in the sun warrior city?" Detia nodded, looking at the dagger with a lifted eyebrow. "This is it, dad had it polished, sharpened, made this sheath for it, and put some new rubies in it for me. I want you to have it, so you don't forget."

'Forget what?' Detia asked taking the offered blade and opening it, watching the sun bounce off the silver blade.

"So you don't forget that we still love you, and no matter what dad may have done, you and Aunt Azula and Aunt Ty Lee are always welcome back here. You just might have to wait till I'm Fire Lord," Lu Ten answered, smiling sheepishly.

Detia closed the dagger and secured it to her belt as Ursa came to her, pushing her brother out of the way. "That's going to be hard to follow, jerk," Ursa glared, sticking her tongue out at her brother. "I didn't know what to give. I don't have anything cool like a dagger, but I have this comb. This was what I was going to give you for your birthday, but I found something better," Ursa produced an ivory comb engraved with the image of a golden bird. The diamond eyes glittered in the light. "I was going to wait till next year to give it to you, but now is as good a time as any." She flipped the comb over, where the words 'to Detia from Ursa' were written. "See, I had it engraved."

Apparently, before Detia could thank either of her cousins it was Ezra's turn. She handed Detia a small box silently. "This is more practical," she said simply.

With a lifted eyebrow, Detia opened the box and pulled out a wide long piece of white silk. At first she didn't realize what was special about it, only noting that it was heavier than silk should be; a lot heavier. The lightning bender gasped when she caught sight of the thin sheet of metal sewn into the silk. She let the silk slip from her hands and concentrated on it. With little effort the silk wrapped around her waist once – obscuring the dark blue belt – crossed at her back, flowed over her shoulders, crossed again over her chest, and tucked comfortably under the belt. "Thank you. I appreciate the gesture," she said, pulling her stunned cousins into a hug. "But I won't forget."

Lu Ten pulled away first and pointed a shaky finger at her, making a bunch of mumbling sounds before yelling, "Since when have you been able to talk!"

Cocking her head slightly and lifting an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips but not quiet there, Detia answered, 'Always.'

"No. no, no, no." He repeated the word. "No, when have you been able to talk verbally!"

"Since I was struck by lightning," Detia answered verbally. "Ahh, the amazing power of lightning."

His stunned expression made even his sisters laugh, and he blushed because of it. "Why didn't you tell anyone!" he yelled out of embarrassment, his fist balled at his side with his shoulders raised.

Detia crossed her arms and smirked, 'Why would I? Talking verbally is an inferior form of communication; there are far too many flaws in it, too many ways for unwanted people to hear you.'

"But we're you family," Ezra noted quietly.

'My own parents didn't know,' Detia replied with a flip of her hand.

Lu Ten slumped, looked at his cousin, and deadpanned, "This is a losing battle isn't it?"

Detia's smirk widened, 'Yes, yes it is.'

"I hate you sometimes," the crown prince admitted but surprised his cousin by hugging her. "But I sure am going to miss you."

Ursa and Ezra joined in the hug, and the sincerity of it brought tears to Detia's eyes. She broke away, rubbing her eyes. "All right, that's enough, you saps. You're making me cry."

"Yeah well," Lu Ten smiled, having never even seen his cousin cry, better less make her do so. "You know you love us."

'Only because I have no choice,' she admitted.

The boy's grin widened. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Dad told me to tell you that a ship would be ready by noon. You can get the servants to bring your things down there now. The ship itself is ready; the supplies aren't."

'Good to know,' Detia replied, turning back to her bag, pulled out a random shirt, and wrapped her comb in it.

"So, what happened?" Lu Ten asked.

'Ask your parents.' Detia replied finally as she placed her comb and clothes back into her bag.

~x~

Azula stood beside Ty Lee at the docks of the Fire Nation Capital, surveying as the servants loaded their belongings aboard a royal vessel. From there, the belongings would be shipped directly to Ba Sing Se where they would be kept in the palace. Azula and Ty Lee had discussed the prospect of a journey with Detia, and once confirmed they had quickly mapped out their route, starting just outside the border of Omashu. The acrobat didn't have much input, but she did enjoy watching her daughter and wife argue about which way was best.

Ty Lee looked at her wife, watched her every move as the princess ordered the servants around. Little things had changed about her, things no one would notice except those select few who were closest to her. She was paler for one. The princess had always been pale, but right after the soul bending, she looked sickly, all the color drained from her body. Luckily, the three hours of sleep she received had helped even out her complexion somewhat, but it was still a shade or two paler than it had been. And what's worse, Azula had always been a physically warm person. Mai informed Ty Lee that most Fire Benders were, but even by those standards, Azula was warm. But not anymore. Ty lee supposed Azula's temperature was about normal now. She wondered if it was a temporary change or a permanent one. Though, either would be fine for the acrobat. That was the most obvious but least of her worries.

The princess was tense, and when she thought no one was watching, she would glance around nervously. Ty Lee would like to believe that this behavior was because the princess was worried that Zuko might try to stop them, but she wasn't so sure. The colors emitting from the princess were not the colors one emitted out of the fear of being stopped but the fear of being hurt. They'd have to get out of the Fire Nation before she could confirm it, though. Still, that was not what worried her the most. It was the spark in her eyes, the flare in golden eyes that would light up her entire face when she was thinking about…well anything really. Now, her eyes were a dull, pale gold, as if all of her fight had vanished. Detia and Sunstone had even pointed it out. She hoped that there was a way to solve that problem more than any other.

Currently, the golden dragon, who had grown significantly since her birth and was now about ten feet in length, was wrapped comfortably around her mistress like she had been for the past couple of hours, her head laying over Azula's shoulder. Sunstone looked much like a suit of armor and wings with the way she was wrapped. Despite the fact that she looked heavy, Azula assured her wife that Sunstone weighted no more than twenty pounds, something about hollow bones or something. Ty Lee didn't quite believe her, Sunstone was all muscle and muscle was heavy, but she let it slide. Azula showed no signs of discomfort with Sunstone around her, so Ty Lee didn't have a problem with it.

"Where's Detia?" Azula questioned, turning to look at her wife, Sunstone's red eyes doing the same.

Ty Lee paused. Sometimes those deep, innocent red orbs frightened her, but she never said anything because Azula found it amusing. And it only lasted a few seconds, like when you look out of the corner of your eye and jump because you see something you didn't expect. "She left the palace shortly after we decided the route we'd be taking. Other than that, she didn't say where she was going."

Azula shook her head, Sunstone mimicking the motion, but didn't ask further questions as she mindlessly petted her dragon. Her daughter was smart, so she would more than likely arrive at the ship before they took off. Not that they would leave her. "Azula," the name was said cautiously and low, but none the less, Azula flinched and tensed visibly before she even turned.

Ty Lee placed a reassuring hand on her wife's arm, feeling her loosen only slightly as she turned to face the one who called her. To his credit, the Avatar, with Katara by his side, stayed his distance. Though from the look on his face, one could tell that Azula's reaction to him did not settle well, as it should. "Avatar," she addressed curtly, Ty Lee wrapping her hands around Azula's balled fist and leaning towards her wife, the extra warmth doing wonders on calming her down.

Azula smiled at her acrobat, the familiar presence alone making her feel less tense. "Azula," he said again, his tone apologetic as he took a step closer.

Again Azula flinched, her breath hitched at his approach. Ty Lee was sure that if she wasn't holding onto her wife, Azula would have run away and that fact pained her. Her Azula was strong and fearless. This behavior was so unlike her and Ty Lee had no idea how to help. But she figured glaring at the one who caused this behavior was a good start. Aang stepped back at both Ty Lee's glare and Azula's reaction to him. Though, Katara's hand on his arm helped as well. "Look," he started again, scratching the back of his head. "I just want to apologize. I'm sorry. I really am. I was talking with Katara, and she thinks that maybe she could help…"

"I don't need nor want your help, Avatar," Azula said, her tone showing all the confidence her body refused. "If I need healing, my daughter will do it. Good day." The princess turned, a small stream of fire huffing past Sunstone's lips, and made her way to the ship in a dignified manner. Though, she didn't feel dignified at all, seeing as she was trying her hardest not to start sprinting.

Ty Lee watched as Aang sighed heavily and heard Katara whisper, "You tried."

"Not hard enough," he answered her back in a whisper. "Not hard enough."

~x~

Detia walked down the busy streets of the Fire Nation, a small bag of coins and a scroll tied securely to her belt. She was slowly making her way to the docks, stopping every once in a while to look at the things the middle class was selling. She was in the process of buying fire flakes when her name was called out over the crowd. She turned to find Angi and Yuna running towards her. Well, Angi was running; Yuna was rolling her eyes and walking at a normal pace. 'Hey guys,' Detia said in a friendly manner as Angi finally reached her, Yuna following close behind.

"We went to the palace, but you weren't there," Yuna said before Angi had the chance, smiling at the tanned girl's scowl.

'Oh, there was incident,' Detia started.

"We heard," Angi announced, finally catching her breathe.

'How?' Detia wondered, it had only happened not more than five hours ago.

Angi shrugged, "Word travels fast. We heard you were going on a journey. Is it true?"

With a white eyebrow lifted, Detia answered, 'Yes. It's true.'

"Awesome," Angi proclaimed pumping her fist into the air and further confusing the lightning bender.

Yuna rolled her eyes and asked, "Can we tag along?"

'Won't your parents mind?' Detia replied.

"We live in the Colonies," Yuna reminded calmly.

'Yeah, but that's a lie,' Detia pointed out, making Angi laugh and slap her on the back, the action surprising Detia and making her flinch slightly at the unfamiliar sting.

"Yeah, we totally don't even have parents," Angi admitted, earning her a punch in the arm from the water bender. "Ow, what was that for?" Yuna just glared and rolled her eyes. "Whatever," She turned back to Detia. "Just let us come. It'll be epic."

Detia smiled slightly and nodded. 'I'll have to ask my parents, but it shouldn't be a problem.'

"Awesome. They're at the docks right?" Angi asked, wrapping an arm around Detia's shoulders.

Detia nodded and almost yelled as she suddenly found herself running down the streets towards the docks. She looked back for Yuna, but the water bender was at her side, keeping pace with Angi. Their eyes locked, and Yuna smiled sympathetically and mouthed the word 'sorry'. They made it to the docks in less than five minutes, which was a feat in and of itself considering the docks had been twenty minutes away. But Yuna was the only one who was out of breath, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch it. "Geez, you're slow," Angi stated, the look in her eyes saying that she only said it to get on Yuna's nerves.

Apparently, it worked because when Yuna's cerulean eyes looked up there was fire in them. She glared at her companion and made sure she was in her face before she yelled, "I'm a swimmer, bitch. Not a runner."

The lightning bender only shook her head, wondering if they were always like that. Almost immediately she tuned them out as she caught sight of the Avatar and his peasant walking away from their ship. "Who's that?" Angi asked, drawing Detia's attention to her.

'The Avatar,' Detia answered without even looking to see if that was who Angi was talking about.

The firebender nodded, her expression grim for once in her life. "What is he doing here?" Yuna asked, coming to stand beside Detia – on the opposite side of Angi.

'I don't know,' Detia answered and started to walk to the ship, calling to her mother mentally when she caught sight of the glittering golden scales of Sunstone's body.

Azula turned quickly, as did Ty Lee, when they heard their daughter's voice. The surprised looks on their faces as their daughter approached them flanked by two children her own age was priceless. 'Mom, Mommy,' Detia said when she was standing in front of her parents, 'these are my friends, Angi' Angi waved. 'and Yuna.' Yuna bowed slightly. 'We were wondering if it'd be okay if they came with us.'

Azula and Ty Lee looked at each other then back at the two children who looked so familiar, especially Yuna. "What about their parents?" Ty Lee asked.

'Apparently, they don't have any,' Detia answered honestly, making both of her friends sigh and shake their heads.

"Haven't you heard about the concept of lying?" Angi asked, eyeing the dragon and shaking her head in the negative.

Detia ignored that exchange and answered, 'Of course, but what relevance does that have?'

Angi smacked her forehead and Yuna laughed, and Detia felt she was missing something. "It's fine with us," Azula said, smiling at the confused expression on her child's face. "Just hurry up. We're leaving soon."

Ty Lee nodded in agreement, also smiling. Detia ignored her friends and watched carefully as her mother walked away. There didn't seem to be anything different about her, so maybe the Avatar chose to do the smart thing and leave well enough alone. "Detia," Yuna's calm voice called her as a cold hand fell to her shoulder and golden eyes turned to the water bender. "We should get on the boat."

'What about your clothes and stuff?' Detia asked.

Angi shrugged and placed her hands on Detia's shoulders, standing behind her. "Who needs them!" Angi yelled as she suddenly shoved Detia up the walk way to the deck of the ship.

Azula and Ty Lee watched in amusement as Detia stopped just as suddenly and threw her friend over her shoulder, the tanned girl landing hard on the wooden surface, the sound echoing across the docks. The water bender's laughter was loud and long as she and Detia walked past Angi. "This is going to be interesting," Ty Lee noted with a smile.

Azula nodded - as did Sunstone. "Yes, yes it is."

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Of Fire

Chapter 19

A/N: FYI: Detia changes from speaking verbally to mental fluidly.

**~Day 1~**

The sun was high, beating down on the deck of the Royal Fire Navy vessel with a vengeance. Not that the three children sitting on the deck at one of the bolted down tables noticed. They had been sitting there for a few hours, though the ship had set sail only half an hour ago. Yuna sighed, fanning herself with a metal fan; her cards were lying on the table as they had been for the past twenty minutes – seeing as she had forfeited. From her expression she was bored out of her mind. They had been playing the lower class card game for long enough in her opinion, of course when Angi pulled out the deck of cards that was long enough for her as well. Currently, Angi's expression was cross as she looked down at her one card, then back at Detia's neutral expression and her two cards. Slowly, a tanned hand moved over to Detia's cards and pulled one out of the set.

She looked at it as a sly smirk crossed Detia's face. "Fuck!" Angi yelled, gaining the attention of some of the crew members as she slammed her cards on the table and glared at the lightning bender. "How the hell do you keep beating me! This is my game. I made it up!"

'Apparently you're not very good at it.' Detia offered, still smiling smugly as she set her card on the table and Yuna chuckled.

For a second the fire bender was lost for actual words, mumbling angrily and running her hands through her wild black hair. "I hate you." She finally said, sitting heavily back in her chair. "I hate you so much."

'Aw, you're just saying that.' Detia remarked, batting her eyes with a hand on her chest.

"You're just mad because she's kicking your ass at this stupid game." Yuna pointed it out, crossing one leg over the other.

Angi huffed, crossing her arms angrily. "How long am I going to have to suffer through your combined presence on this ship?"

'You could always go to the bowels of the ship. We're not likely to go there.' Detia suggested.

"Smart ass." Angi huffed.

Detia laughed silently. 'Three days at the most.'

"Princess." A servant-girl, probably only four or five years older than Detia, approached the lightning bender cautiously. Detia turned to her. "Your mother wishes to see you."

Detia nodded and stood, patting Angi's head as she passed. 'You calm down while I'm gone, okay.'

Angi snapped her teeth at Detia's hand, making the lightning bender chuckle. Yuna and Angi shared a look when Detia's whole form suddenly became serious, her steps more determined and deliberate. With a smirk, Angi tilted her head towards Detia in a nod. Yuna mimicked the look and nodded. While Detia couldn't read their minds she was aware of them following her. She made a show of walking down the halls, purposefully going the longest way possible. At least, that was half the reason. Part of her was afraid of what her parents were so distressed about. So when she finally made it to their door before knocking she took a deep breath. Ty Lee's voice beckoned her in.

She closed the door heavily behind her, catching sight of the golden dragon curled up sleeping in the corner – grey smoke rising from her nose. But it was her mother who concerned her. Azula was sitting on the side of her bed, back facing the wall with her head in her hands. Detia couldn't be sure but it looked like the older woman was actually crying. She had never seen her mother cry. 'Mommy?' Detia questioned as Ty Lee touched her shoulder and shook her head. But Detia squared her shoulders and rounded the bed till she was facing her mother. "Mother?" the lightning bender said. When Azula didn't respond Detia touched her shoulder. "What happened?"

"I can't bend." Azula stated, looking up at her daughter – her eyes dry.

Detia smiled, looking her mother square in the eye and said, "You can't bend fire. Have you tried lightning?"

"Lightning is an extension of Fire. If I can't bend fire I can't bend lightning." Azula reasoned as she placed her head back in her hands, so distraught that she wasn't actually thinking about what she was saying and only repeating what had been drilled into her since before she could walk.

"Is it?" Detia countered.

"Of course it…" Azula yelled as her eyes met her daughters' warm golden ones and remembered that Detia could never Fire bend but she could manipulate lightning. "…no, no it isn't."

Detia nodded. 'Are you willing to try?'

"I…" Azula stopped, she had never actually tried to bend lightning on a small scale. So she hesitated as she tried to remember how Detia did it. She guessed that it was like Fire bending but when she tried to reach into herself and pull the fire to her hand nothing happened. There was no fire there. The ex-princess sighed in defeat. "I can't"

'I didn't know that was in your vocabulary.' Detia laughed lightly. 'You're doing it wrong. You're assuming that lightning bending is similar to fire bending and it is. But then again all bending styles are similar.' The little girl set beside her mother. 'When you bend with fire you find the source here.' She touched her chest, feeling her own heart beat rhythmically. 'Fire is an element of soul. So it's only natural that you would draw from there. But lightning is an element of mind and soul. When you bend lightning you have to pull from here' she touched her head 'and here.' She touched her chest. 'That's why there were so few lightning benders, even when we were a people. It's not an easy thing to learn. But after a while it becomes second nature.'

"How do I do that?" Azula asked, only a little embarrassed because she was asking her ten-year old daughter for advice on bending.

'You know how. You've been doing it for a while.' Detia laughed lightly at Azula's confused look. 'You mean that you didn't even know that you weren't bending fire when were training together?'

"I didn't realize." Azula said lightly, unable to stop herself from smiling at her child seemingly contagious expression.

Azula opened her palm again and remembered training with her daughter, the calm and pride she felt watching her offspring mimicking her every move perfectly, then go off and do a ridiculously difficult form and making it look so easy. The energy that flowed through her body to her hand was hotter than any fire she had ever created but it was soothing and cooled her being, engulfing her very spirit. She looked at her hand, finding a small ball of electricity in it.

'See how easy that was.' Detia smile's widened as she closed her hand over her mother's smothering the ball, intertwining their fingers. The little girl's expression suddenly drew serious, 'You've been hurt in a way no one should be. But you're my mom and as such you are strong. We'll get through this.'

Azula laughed lightly, pulling her child into a hug – ignoring the heavy metal silk that still wrapped around Detia's thin form as it scratched lightly at her skin. It surprised Azula when she first saw her child wearing the heavy silk but not enough to inquire further about it after she asked where Detia got it. "Spirits, you are so much like Ty Lee."

'I try my best.' Detia admitted. 'I can teach you how to lightning bend, kinda like me.'

"Only kinda?" Azula questioned, both Ty Lee and Detia relieved to see a slight spark return to her golden eyes.

'I'm a goddess.' Detia reasoned. 'The things I do, normal lightning benders can't do.'

Azula nodded, "We'll see. Tomorrow morning we'll start my re-training."

"After noon," Detia corrected verbally. "You need your sleep."

"You need to stop worrying about me. I'm the parent here." She said, kissing her daughter's head.

Detia laughed pushing against her mother, glancing over to her mommy who had been sitting quietly next to the still sleeping Sunstone. Her smile grew wider at her mommy's joyful expression. Ty Lee watched as her daughter reached for her, easily moving to sit on the opposite side of the child. Azula smiled at her wife, leaning over her daughter to kiss the woman – knowing full well that Detia did not like to be in the middle when they did things like that – and gripped tighter to her daughter's hand when she tried to escape. 'No fair!' Detia cried out as she tried to get away.

Ty Lee giggled as she pulled away from the kiss, even though she really didn't want to. She looked down at her child's cross expression and noticed a scroll tucked neatly in her belt and slightly under the silk armor. "What's this?" Ty Lee asked, pulling the scroll from Detia's belt.

'Oh!' she almost called out verbally, so glad for the change of subject. 'That's my certificate.' Detia answered.

"Certificate for what?" Azula asked, taking the scroll from Ty Lee and easily breaking the seal. Detia didn't answer as Azula read over the scroll and gasped. She handed the scroll back to Ty Lee and only looked at her daughter. "You graduated?" She questioned after Ty Lee finished reading the scroll.

Detia nodded. "How?" Ty Lee questioned. "That's four years ahead of everyone else."

The lightning bender shrugged and replied, 'I had all the final exams given to me today. That's why I ran off. I didn't have to take most of them; the teachers just stamped the paper with a perfect score and left.'

Azula squeezed her daughter's hand, unable to find the words for how proud she was. "That's amazing." The acrobat said lightly, still unable to believe what she was seeing. She looked at Detia then back at the certificate and note the principal had written stating his congratulations.

'This way I won't have to go to school in the Earth Kingdom.' Detia said with a smile, the thought of never going to school ever again making her oh so happy. She stood, her hand still in her mother's 'I should probably see to my friends before they break the door down.' Azula chuckled, vaguely hearing voices on the other side of the door. 'You should sleep; I'm not going easy on you tomorrow.'

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Azula admitted, letting go of her daughter's hand.

Detia stopped in front of her Mommy and pulled the scroll away from her face, making her look up. She kissed the woman who gave birth to her on the forehead and said, 'You should go to sleep too. You've had a rough day.'

Ty Lee frowned but pulled Detia into a hug. "Yes, mother." She mocked lightly, making Detia chuckle. "Congratulations, my smart little girl. You should probably get to bed earlier than you usually do too. Today's been rough for everyone."

Detia nodded, pulling away from her Mommy and making her way to the door. Her parents watched passively as she stood at the door for a second then threw it open. Both of her friends fell to the floor unceremoniously, looking up at the lightning bender sheepishly. "It was her idea." The pale girl accused quickly, earning her a jab in the ribs.

"You went along with it!" The tanned child yelled.

Detia smiled at her parents before her expression turned cross. 'Out' she said simply, pointing a finger towards the door.

As if they were being punished, both Yuna and Angi stood and walked away from the door, Detia following close behind them and closing the door behind her. The lightning bender smiled when she heard both of her parents start to chuckle. The sound of silk covers moving told her that they were taking her advice and going to sleep. "You're parents are awesome." Angi said, drawing Detia's attention away from her parents.

'I know.' Detia answered. 'That's why they are my parents. So, what do you guys want to do?'

Yuna raised her pale hand and replied, "I want to braid your hair."

"What?' Angi and Detia chorused.

Detia had never had her hair braided before, which was odd considering Ty Lee braided her hair all the time. Yue had even tried to convince her to let her do it but Detia had refused, at the time having better things to do than sit around letting people mess with her hair. But now that she didn't have anything better to do 'Okay.' Detia replied, the jaw-dropping look that Angi gave her a major bonus in her decision.

"Shut up, Angi." Yuna scolded, pushing the fire bender's chin up with a loud snap and taking Detia's hand. "We did what you wanted to do for hours already."

The fire bender scowled as she rubbed her jaw with crossed arms but followed her friends back to Detia's room. "This is going to be so boring." she mumbled.

**~Day 2~**

The reverberation of explosions woke both Azula and Ty Lee from their sound sleep violently, both jumping out of bed thinking the worst had happened. In their robes, they ran out of the room and burst into the bridge. For all they knew they were being attacked by pirates or worse Zuko. "What's happening?" Azula demanded the instant she entered the room.

No one answered, as they stared blindly out the window at the deck below. "Angi and Detia are practicing," Yuna finally answered seemingly coming out of nowhere.

She pointed to the window when her friend's parents only looked at her. What they saw out that window put them both in a gaping stupor. A wall of fire as long as the ship was wide and ascending at least thirty feet in the air took up most of the view as it began to move forward – away from the bridge and towards the bow – charring and melting the metal deck and railing. Angi stood triumphantly in front of it, but her stance was ready to defend from the lightning bender's next attack. The spectators could barely see the massive ball of electricity ram into the wall and shatter like glass against concrete but were very aware of it as it created a cage larger than the wall and began pushing it back towards Angi. The firebender frowned briefly.

Azula and Ty Lee were as close to the window as the railing would allow them, the heat of the fire wall warming the room much like a dry sauna – not that anyone was paying that any attention. Ty Lee gasped as Detia flew through the cage of electricity and the wall of fire about twenty feet above the deck, a hole left where she came through, the red fire and white lightning swirling around her as she spun through it. She flipped mid-descent – which was much slower than she should have been – sending a large blade of electricity towards her opponent. Angi flipped out of its path, letting it slam into the deck – leaving a deep scar in the metal that pierced straight through to the hull.

The fire bender countered while Detia was still in the air with a string of fire balls, one after the other in a never ending wave. Detia twisted, kicking most of them harmlessly into the fire wall while sending more of the same towards Angi. The few that she missed passed by her without hitting. As Agni was blocking the counter attack, Detia landed silently on the deck, not even rolling, as she sprinted towards her friend performing more than a few round-house kicks to keep Angi on the defensive.

Faster than humanly possible, Detia attacked Angi hand to hand, striking pressure points that should have floored the fire bender. But the only thing the spectators could see was a blur of movement as Angi matched Detia's inhuman speed and the white and red of fire and lightning. Detia back flipped twice landing squarely on the railing with balance that would put any cat to shame, avoiding the fire that blasted her way by running along the thin circular metal. She jumped off in a twist, cutting the air in a sideways karate chop and sending two small streams of lighting at her opponent's feet.

A servant girl entered the bridge and tapped Yuna on the shoulder, whispering something in the girl's ear. Yuna nodded and left the room. But no one noticed as they watched the fight below, well what they could see of it. When the pale girl appeared again it was down on the deck. She yelled one word and the fighting stopped almost instantly. "Breakfast!"

Detia stood above Angi, who had somehow managed to find her back to the ground, fist drawn back and ready to attack. Angi's arms were crossed, prepared for the attack, blocking her face. Both stopped at the sound of food and turned to look at Yuna, whose smiled widened when their stomachs growled simultaneously. The lightning bender lowered her arm and extended it to her friend. When Angi took the offered arm Detia pulled her to her feet. They began to walk towards the water bender, but she stopped them by pointing at the wall and cage that still stood taking up most of the deck. With a flip of their hands the wall and cage vanished, leaving only the weakened charred remains of the deck.

"Your parents are awake," Yuna informed the lightning bender.

'I know,' Detia replied with a wide smile as she examined her fire bending friend. 'You look bad,' she noted, the ends of all of her clothing and even her hair were singed, not to mention the several tears in the fabric of her clothes and the small amount of blood that couldn't really be seen on the dark cloth.

Angi smirked back. "You look about the same."

Detia looked at her clothes, finding that while they weren't burnt they were covered in soot. Her white hair, which was still braided from the night before, looked almost black with the soot that covered it. Her clothing was torn as well and whatever injury she had sustained that caused her to bleed over exaggerated as the blood soaked into the white cloth. The lightning bender couldn't help but chuckle and bowed to her friend. 'That was excellent practice. I hope to have many more.'

Angi bowed back and replied simply. "Ditto. But next time I'm kicking your ass."

'In your dreams maybe,' Detia remarked, a smile still on her face. 'Do you think we should get cleaned up before we eat?'

"No." "Yes," Angi and Yuna answered.

'I'll take that as a yes,' Detia confirmed and headed back towards her room.

"Why do you always agree with her?" Angi asked, waving almost dismissively at her water bending companion.

Detia only stared at Angi, silently asking if she was serious. 'Because you're ideas are usually terrible.'

"Hey! You could have at least said that behind my back so I wouldn't have to hear it," Angi huffed, crossing her arms.

A sly smirk covered the lightning bender's dirty face. 'Now, what kind of friend would I be if I did that?'

Yuna chuckled, touching the fire bender's arm. "Come on, we'll get you cleaned up really quick, and then we can eat."

"Not too quickly I hope," Angi said in a whisper, but not low enough so that Detia couldn't hear her.

'I'm not going to wait for you,' Detia informed, continuing her trek to her room. 'I'm eating once I get there.'

~x~

Breakfast had been a fairly easy affair. After the mandatory worry her parents showed her once she entered the galley and the shared relief when they saw she wasn't injured was over, things were normal. Angi and Yuna had entered the galley fifteen minutes after Detia, both spotless. Detia half wondered what they did that took so long but usually decided that she really didn't want to know. She simply assumed that since Angi hated to get into the water that the extra time they took was Yuna forcing the Fire Bender into the bath. A short argument ensued between the lightning bender and the fire bender concerning who was the better bender, an argument no one else dared interfere in and one that Detia won because she was better with her words.

After the meal was finished, Detia and Azula agreed that they would start training, considering Azula was fully awake. They headed to the deck closer to the stern, seeing as the deck near the bow was charred and probably needed major repairs. Ty Lee sat with Yuna and Angi as the pair set up a board game that the acrobat had never seen before with pawns and knights and kings and queens. It looked like a strategy game much like Pai Sho but so different. With her attention being torn between the game the two were playing and Azula's training, she didn't quiet catch how to play. Not that that really concerned her. She wasn't very good at strategy games anyways.

As she should be, Azula was a very fast learner. She didn't feel quite as incompetent as she thought she would learning a new bending form. No one but Azula was surprised to learn that she was a prodigy after all. The ex-princess sat down in one of the empty chairs heavily when her training was done. She couldn't remember a time when she was that exhausted. "You were really good," Yuna approved, looking up briefly from her second game of chess. "This was your first time training under the mindset that you can only bend lightning, right?"

Azula nodded, though she wondered what that had to do with her bending. 'You're surprised?' Detia asked, almost offended for her mother, as she joined the little group.

"She shouldn't be," Angi offered, picking up a pawn only to put it back down. "The princess Azula wasn't supposed to be a fire bender anyways," she said casually, as if stating that the sky was blue.

"What?" Azula questioned, more than a little confused by that casual statement.

Angi glanced up. "You didn't know? It was common knowledge to us."

"Who's us?" Ty Lee inquired.

The fire bender made a vague hand motion to Detia, Yuna, and herself. "Us."

Azula caught on quickly to who 'us' was and mouthed to Ty Lee that she would tell her later. But she still didn't have her questioned answered. "What was I supposed to be then?"

"Duh, a lightning bender. You would have been the first in like a million years or something like that. But your father had to intervene, the bastard," Angi answered with a slight sneer, finally deciding on a move she could live with and moving a pawn once.

"You never found it odd that your fire was blue instead of orange or red?" Yuna asked, guiding one of her knights in an 'L' shape in front of her king.

Angi slapped her head and examined the board as Azula answered, "I never considered it, I suppose. I just assumed that it was hotter than normal," Yuna nodded, watching Angi mumble to herself. "But if I was supposed to be a lighting bender, why was I bending fire?"

Red eyes far less innocent than Sunstone's – eyes of a person who had seen one too many battlefields – glared at Azula, though it was the board that was making her angry. "All right look," Angi started, turning the board over and throwing all of the pieces onto the deck.

"Hey!" Yuna yelled.

"I was losing anyways," she said, not even a little sorry, as she gestured to the detailed drawing of a tree on the back of the board. "Alright, let's assume that you are like this tree." A long sharp nail pointed to the roots. "You were born in the summer, which to the Fire Nation is a good thing, a lucky thing. But lightning benders don't really have a season so the time of your birth is irrelevant. When you were a baby you occasionally threw lightning around, which your father assumed was fire, because he's an idiot. But your roots are in lightning. Lightning benders know their art at a ridiculously young age, far younger than any other bending style. But to one who doesn't consider lightning its own element you were merely a fire bending prodigy. So, your father started training you young. Do you remember him getting angry at you for 'messing up' a lot?" Azula nodded, clearly remembering the times she was punished for not doing a kata right.

"That's because you weren't using the fire bending style," Yuna started. "If you compare what you were doing then to what you're doing now, you'll find that they are freakishly similar."

"But that doesn't answer why she was bending fire." Ty Lee noted.

'It's a psychological thing.' Detia answered. 'As I said before, lightning is an element of both mind and soul. Ozai kept telling you that you were doing it wrong and that you were a fire bender. And as your mother grew more distant to you, his approval became more important.' Azula frowned, she really didn't like the way these three ten-year olds were telling her how she was when she was little – no matter how true it was. Detia, who was reading her mother's thoughts, ignored them and continued. 'So you needed to be the best in his eyes, and if that meant unconsciously cutting your power in half, then so be it. And you trained harder in the ways of Fire.'

"So," Ty Lee started, thinking this over in her head. "If this tree is like Azula then she…what?"

"She trimmed the tree," Angi answered. "It still grew mind you, but it grew much slower than it should have. And if you imagine this tree in color then the roots would be white but the limbs would be red up till the point when you learned that hot fire is blue and you mentally increased your power level. To the fire nation, the next logical step would be lightning bending."

"Did it change then when she started that?" Ty Lee asked.

"No," Yuna answered. "No, it did not. Instead of the entire tree changing to white, a new branch was formed, stronger than all the red limbs combined." Yuna pointed to the roots and up to a random limb.

"Why?" Azula thought out loud, all this new information rolling around in her head.

'Because, you still thought you should be a fire bender, so that part of the tree was still there,' Detia answered.

"So really that dumb kid did you a favor," Angi stated.

"Dumb kid?" Azula repeated.

As if she were bored, Angi placed her chin in the palm of her hand and rolled her eyes while waving the other hand in a vague manner. "You know, the Avatar, what's-his-name."

"Aang?" Ty Lee asked, keenly aware of Azula's involuntary cringe.

"Yeah, him."

Before anyone could ask why, Yuna stepped in. "We all know how much Soul Bending hurts. But he pretty much destroyed all the red in your tree, leaving you to start over again the right way."

'And it really shouldn't take a long time. A month or two at the most,' Detia offered.

Azula smiled slightly. "That's…reassuring actually. Though, I am highly disappointed," she admitted a slight sparkle in her golden eyes as she suppressed her smirk. "I could have been a lightning bender my entire life," she sighed dramatically. "Imagine all the things I could have done."

"All the people you could have hurt," Ty Lee finished, making her wife stop and think about that statement while the three children laughed.

"What do you mean?" Azula nearly demanded, using a tone that had been dormant since she lost her fire bending.

It was Ty Lee's turn to sigh dramatically, "You were not a nice child, Azula. The few minor burns that the servants sustained because of you would have been infinitely worse had you been a lightning bender."

"True," Azula admitted, not even going to deny the accusation. "But that was a long time ago." She flipped the board back over to the checker-patterned side, using that as a distraction as she digested all of the information she was given. "So, tell me about this game you were playing. I've never seen it before."

"It's called chess," Yuna started, moving her hand slightly to make the water pick up the scattered pieces.

~x~

The sun was high in the afternoon sky, and the three children were all on the deck. Detia found a manual on the vessel they sailed, found a nice place on the deck in the shade, and read the book for a while until the rocking of the ship along with the sound of the waves lulled her to sleep. Angi had found the skimpiest outfit, if one could call it an outfit, ever made and was currently sunbathing. She would sigh every once in a while but ultimately didn't move. Yuna, on the other hand, was leaning against the railing and looking at the ocean as the ship cut through it – wishing that she was in that water.

Azula and Ty Lee had retired to their room shortly after Azula beat Yuna at chess, which was no small feat according to Angi. That was all Ty Lee's doing. What with the subtle play on words and not so subtle bare foot that would occasionally drift up Azula's leg and the hand that seemed to have found a semi-permanent place on Azula's upper thigh. To keep her mommy's thoughts out of her head, Detia had run off at that point to find anything to keep her mind busy. Somehow, with all of that distracting her, Azula still managed to beat Yuna at chess a second time before relenting to her wife's demands and retiring for the afternoon.

The chess board had long been forgotten on the table, a few of the pieces finding their way onto the ground, but no one seemed bothered enough to pick them up. Yuna watched in wonder as the anchor of the ship descended rapidly and splashed heavily in the water. The water bender braced herself for the sudden jerk as the ship stopped. Angi didn't move much considering she was lying on the deck. Detia, on the other hand, was thrust forward into a roll, but she only rolled once before catching herself. "Why are we stopping?" Yuna asked, her hands gripping the railing lightly.

Detia hesitated, looking through the minds of the captain and crew members to find the answer. 'Apparently, the damage we did to the ship is pretty bad and needs to be repaired before the storm that everyone believes is coming tonight.'

Angi chuckled from her still laying position and said, "We did damage the hull pretty bad."

"I see," Yuna stated, looking at the clear sky but feeling the heavy water in the air. A storm was sure to come by nightfall. "So, it'd be totally okay for me to say jump over the railing and go for a swim?"

"Go for it," Angi replied dismissively.

'Isn't that….' Detia started the same instant Azula walked onto the deck and Yuna jumped over it.

All Azula saw was a blue blur jump over the railing and her daughter rush over to it. Azula followed her daughter, looking over the edge at the calm water. "What happened?"

"Yuna jumped over the edge," Angi answered dismissively, turning over on her stomach. "She'll be fine."

"She's absolutely correct, you know. I'm perfectly okay," Yuna's voice remarked from behind mother and daughter. "I'm so glad to finally get into the water and get rid of that faulty disguise."

"Disguise?' Azula and Detia chorused, turning to see what the girl was talking about.

Yuna ran a webbed hand through her now blue hair, highlighted with greens and aquas. From the back of her skull protruding upward were four long thin horns and hooked to the base of those was a thin, translucent, light aqua blue membrane that looked much like torn cloth that had been in the water a little too long. Hidden by her thick hair were long green fin-like ears, each with three spines. The thick white breast bindings and loin cloth was the only thing covering her skin, which was still paler than snow and glistening with the ocean water. The two stared at Yuna's true form. "What?" Yuna said indignantly. "You didn't think that was my true form did you? I'm a goddess."

"Well, yes," Azula answered and Yuna laughed.

"Psyche," Angi laughed as she stood, coming up and wrapping her arms around Yuna's waist, her once black hair waved wildly in red and orange streaked with yellow and a little bit of blue. Angi's pupils narrowed into slim reptilian slits, amplifying her red irises as her tanned ears elongated to sharp points. The skimpy little piece of cloth covering her neither regions allowed all of the blue scales around her wrist and ankles to be clearly seen. Detia scowled at the lack of a top but didn't say anything about how improper it was. "These are our true forms."

Azula nodded, she could accept that. They were gods after all. She turned to her daughter half expecting the girl to change in some way, even if it was in little ways like Angi. 'What?' Detia asked indignantly. 'This is my true form.'

"Just checking," the former princess admitted putting her hands up in surrender.

"Yeah." Angi chuckled, moving away from the water bender to beside Detia, patting the girl on the back and almost knocking the air out of her lungs. "Art here doesn't have any oddities like the rest of us. Curse of being the balance, I guess. "

The confused look on Azula's face prompted Yuna to say. "Well, while you get into this conversation, I'm going to use this time of stability to frolic in the water."

"Okay," Azula said, unsure why Yuna was even asking, as she turned back to her child and the fire bender. "So Art?"

Angi nodded, answering before Detia could. "It's a nick name the rest of us gave her because her real name just doesn't roll off the tongue like ours do."

"Oh?"

'Yes,' Detia replied. "There's Agni here," Detia slammed her hand on her friend's back and sending her flying to the ground, ignoring the muffled 'bitch' that came from her. "Undine is in the water. Terren, now more affectionately known as Toph, and Neos, who I haven't seen in a while."

"Probably won't either. He's busy running around teaching people to air bend. Doin' pretty good too. The population of air benders has sky rocketed since your birth," the fire bender stated as she stood and dusted herself off. "But Arjuna here just doesn't flow. So we call her Art. Don't know where the T came from but whatever."

An elegant black eyebrow lifted, "Arjuna." Despite what Angi was saying, she actually like the name. "But you chose to go by Detia?" Her little girl nodded, and she shrugged. "Okay, at least it's more original that Angi. What did you do, switch two letters?"

"Hey!" Angi yelled, her forearms suddenly alight by fire. The fire instantly cooled when the sound of Detia's verbal laughter echoed across the metal structure. She grabbed her sides as she continued to laugh. "Wow," Angi whispered towards Azula. "I don't think I've ever heard her laugh verbally like that, like ever."

"Not even in her first life?" Azula inquired.

Angi shook her head. "No, not me. Terren maybe, they were really close back in the day."

"How close?" Azula quietly demanded, her expression completely serious and almost deadly.

Angi chuckled. "Back in the day they were inseparable. Usually you wouldn't see one without the other."

"In a 'best friends' kind of manner?" the ex-princess suggested.

The fire bender shrugged. "Sure." Azula sighed in relief and Angi opted to leave out the part about Arjuna and Terren spending more than a few nights out of the week together. "But Terren was so hot back then. All sculpted and toned and manly. If I wasn't male back then, I would have tapped that the first chance I got. You know pending that Art didn't kill me." She couldn't help but fuel the flame a little, well a lot. "Yum."

Golden eyes narrowed at the fire bender, which only made the little red-head smirk. That is until a pale hand slapped the back of her head. "Don't be starting trouble," Yuna chided. "Don't listen to her. Things will go much more smoothly if you don't."

'It's true,' Detia seconded, taking her mother's hand. 'You don't have anything to worry about that. I still think kissing is disgusting.'

"Really!" Yuna and Angi chorused, devious things on their minds.

That alleviated most of Azula's fears, and she smiled at her daughter, putting her hand on white hair. "Anyways, as you three probably already know, we have opted to stop the ship for repairs."

'Where's mommy?' Detia asked.

Azula smirked. "Sated." Detia cringed at Azula's thoughts, making her mother chuckle. "You asked." The lightning goddess scowled. "By the way Agni…"

"Angi," The fire bender corrected. "Just call us by the names we gave you, Angi and Yuna. People would go crazy if they found out who we really were."

"All right." She could understand that. "I have a question for you."

The fire goddess crossed her arms and eyed the former fire bender. "Shoot."

"Why did you help me when Aang was going to take my bending away the first time?" Azula asked.

"Oh that." Angi's shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Well, I really didn't do much. All I did was clear the drugs from your system so you could think clearly. You had pretty much beaten all of your hallucinations, but the drugs they gave you were experimental and while it succeeded in making you complacent..."

"Though there was no reason for it. You were completely lucid." Yuna intoned.

"Right," Angi agreed. "It also has an odd side effect of causing hallucinations. Go figure. Besides, it wasn't fair for them to try something like soul bending while you weren't clearly aware of what was going on. So I just burned it out of your system."

"But I incinerated those soldiers," Azula pointed out. "No ordinary fire bender could do that."

"Ding ding ding!" Angi made the sound with a whirl of her finger. "And there are the key words."

Confusion was the expression Azula gave as she remembered very clearly the events of that day so long ago, the ashes of the fallen enemies spreading across the ground. She had assumed that Zuko was right and Agni had lent her power to do so. But the god was denying it. Detia rolled her eyes. "When that was happening you weren't thinking 'As a fire bender, what moves can I use to attack them?' You were thinking 'You hurt what's mine and you must die' and the fastest way to do that was to use lightning bending. I can incinerate a human instantly; Angi can as well of course, but lighting is hotter than fire."

"Oh," Azula said, her expression one of consideration until a smirk crossed her lips. "So what you're saying is that I am awesome."

"Yep," all three chimed in.

A smug smirk dominated her lips as she ignored the fact that three apparent children knew more about her than she did. "Well, all right. I'm going to make sure my wife is still sleeping," she noted, a slight hum coming from her lips as she made her way towards the door. Her thoughts hoping that Ty Lee was awake, or if she wasn't, then she would be shortly.

Detia smiled at her mother's firm steps, her back straighter than it had been for the past two days. 'Oh, mother,' Azula turned slightly to her daughter. 'There is going to be storm later, that's the perfect time to train.'

"Okay," Azula acknowledged with a wave, her mind clearly on other things.

~x~

"You have to know that I think this is the worst idea you have ever had," Ty Lee articulated, glancing out of the window from the bridge to the newly repaired deck below.

The storm outside was raging, the skies black as coal, and the waves violently smashing against the hull. The rain was heavy and falling in thick drops. But it was the lightning that struck not ten feet away and the loud boom of thunder that scared her the most. The acrobat still had nightmares of that day when her daughter almost died and still flinched whenever the flash came into view. Azula sighed; she wasn't a big fan of this idea either. "I'm sure everything will be okay," the older woman stated, though she wasn't so sure.

"I don't want you going out there," Ty Lee demanded as she grabbed Azula's hand, the panic in her voice escalating as lightning struck not two feet away from the ship. "I don't want either of you going out there."

'Mother?' Detia interrupted as she entered the bridge. 'Are you ready?' The little goddess smiled dismissively at her mother's concerned and frightened thoughts. Azula breathed in heavily and pulled her wife in for a kiss before approaching her daughter. Detia looked around her mother at her mommy. 'Do you want to come with us?'

Ty Lee forced herself to smile. "I can see you just fine from up here."

A white eyebrow lifted. 'No you can't.' Ty Lee almost looked relieved but confused. 'We're going to be practicing in the hold.'

"I thought we were going out there." Azula gestured to the window.

"Are you crazy?" Detia laughed. "Look at that weather. We're going to the hold. I had some crew members move things around so we'd have room."

"But you always practice outside," Ty Lee noted

Again Detia chuckled. "Well yeah, I do. But I can usually protect myself from it. She's still new. Besides," Detia pulled her mommy into a tight hug, "I know how much you'd hate it."

Ty Lee smiled as she hugged her daughter back, almost to tears. "You are such a good girl."

Detia nodded as she pulled away from her mommy and turned back to her mother. 'Are you ready?'

Nodding only once, Azula smirked, just as relieved as her wife to hear that they were not going outside. "I feel oddly invigorated."

Detia's smirk matched Azula's perfectly.

**~Day 3~**

By morning, the storm of the night before was nowhere to be seen. Azula, who had practiced with her daughter for as long as the storm lasted – which meant they didn't stop till the wee hours of the morning – didn't wake till well afternoon. Ty Lee woke before her and took the rare opportunity to watch her wife sleep. Angi rose with the sun, forcing her water bending companion to do the same. Detia woke to their bickering as Yuna complained about being up so early. She tried her best to ignore them and even feigned sleep when Angi burst into her room. Of course when the fire bender causally began jumping on her bed, Detia had no choice but to shock her with enough electrical energy to throw her against the wall.

Angi cursed vividly and set the bed on fire. At this point, Yuna dosed the bed with water to put out the fire. Yuna apologized profusely when Detia got out of bed soaking wet and looking like she was ready to kill someone. Without even flinching, Detia stripped her night clothes, put on a new pair of pajamas, and made her way to her parents' room, grumbling the entire way. She didn't even knock when she opened their door and made her way to Ty Lee, the only set of eyes who looked her way when she entered. "What happened to you?" her mommy asked her quietly, noticing her child's wet hair and cross expression.

'I don't want to talk about it,' Detia grumbled as she crawled up onto the bed and climbed under the lifted silk covers, snuggling up to her mommy before drifting quickly back to sleep.

Ty Lee only smiled as her wife turned on her side and wrapped her strong arms around Ty Lee's thin waist, chuckling softly when Azula kissed her neck and jaw even though she was still very asleep. For hours, the trio stayed like that until Azula eventually woke, Detia following shortly after, but they all just laid in the bed until a crew member informed them that they would be docking shortly in a small village town not a day's walk from Omashu. At which point, Detia went back to her room, got dressed (as her parents did the same), and grabbed her bag. The lightning bender made her way to the deck, where her friends were congregated, with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"So this is Omashu," Angi stated when Detia joined them, not even a little impressed at the small village.

"I'm afraid not," Azula stated with a chuckle, Sunstone once again wrapped around her. "Omashu is landlocked." She pointed northeast. "In the mountains in that direction."

"Oh, that makes more sense. Hey! Can I be the one in charge of the map? I'm super good at reading maps," Angi offered.

Azula looked at Yuna, noticing that the water bender was in her disguise as was Angi, who simply nodded to say that it was true. "Sure," Azula shrugged. "Where's Thunder?" she asked finally noticing that the large bird was missing.

Detia looked at her parent then answered. 'Off hunting. He'll be back to accompany us soon.'

Azula nodded, rubbing between Sunstone's eyes and making the dragon purr. "Oh, you two are back to normal." Ty Lee stated as she joined her family and their guest on the deck.

For a second Yuna was about to ask how Ty Lee knew but then remembered that the acrobat had seen them last night during Azula and Detia's training. "Yes, we're going to be around a lot of people, so we decided to be as normal as possible," Yuna offered.

"Okay," Ty Lee accepted easily as she turned to her daughter. "You know the fire Nation once took over Omashu. Mai's father was in charge of running it. He made a pretty big idiot of himself within like his first month. You remember that Azula."

Azula nodded with a slight smirk. "I recall."

'It looks like our lizards are ready,' Detia noted, the four mongoose lizards waiting at the docks – strapped down with supplies and ready to go. 'Let the journey begin.'

"I get to drive!" Angi announced and jumped to the dock without waiting for the ramp to be placed.

Yuna rolled her eyes but followed her fire bending companion once the ramp was in place. "Let's go." Ty Lee smiled, grabbing Azula and Detia's hands.

TBC

A/N: There are pictures of Yuna and Angi in her true form as adults on my Deviant art. Also, special thanks to the person who wrote 'The First Lightningbender' for letting me steal his/her idea about how Azula became a lightning bender (more or less anyways, I got the idea from that so yeah).


	20. Chapter 20

Of Fire

Chapter 20

Resembling snakes, the group of armed men surreptitiously moved through the underbrush of the forest. Their dull green and brown clothing camouflaged them from their intended victims. Two women, three children, loads of supplies and four mongoose lizards. Surely, they would stand no chance against the ten men who stalked them. It hadn't taken much to convince the traveling group to get off the well-worn road to Omashu, a sign conveniently turned down the wrong path and a seemingly inept map reader had been all it took. The slight rustling of leaves was the only hint that they were even there, not something women and children would notice.

"You know," One of the children said loudly, brushing her, or his – they really couldn't tell – wild black hair out of her (or his) eyes as she (or he) pulled the reins of the mongoose lizard, slowing the stride so that they were walking beside the child with stark white hair. The child patted one of the pale arms wrapped around his waist before continuing. "It's awfully quiet out here in this forest. No birds or anything." Red eyes glanced into the underbrush, eyeing a man who had suddenly stilled and gulped as those demon eyes narrowing into devious slits. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that something was about to happen."

The older of the adults chuckled darkly, her charcoal black hair done up in a perfect Fire Nation topknot. "As if they'd dare."

"You're right of course," the dark haired child agreed. "Only complete idiots would even think of robbing the Princess of the Fire Nation," she said louder than necessary, watching in amusement as all of the men following them tensed.

"Stop yelling," the pale child whined, slapping her riding partner's shoulder lightly before nuzzling back into the dark haired girl's back and allowing the steady sway of their ride to lull her back to sleep.

"Sorry, sweetheart," the dark haired child whispered as she brought a pale hand to her lips and kissed the knuckles, smiling at the pleased mumble it produced from her riding partner.

The ten men paused. They had heard rumors and stories about how powerful the Princess of the Fire Nation was and of feats no human could possibly commit. Silently, they debated their assault, weighing the pros and cons of this new information via bird calls and animal sounds. The travelers continued on their way, ignoring the would-be thieves. "You know," Angi started again, looking at her surroundings. "This place is pretty green for it to be almost winter."

"We're near the equator," Ty Lee informed the young appearing fire bender, sensing the presence of the men following them start to catch up but ignoring them like everyone else. They were hardly a threat. "It's green year round here." Angi nodded.

"Is that a person standing in the middle of the road?" Azula asked rhetorically, bringing the attention of everyone to the large man dressed mainly in a green tunic blocking their path.

"It looks that way," Detia answered anyways, pulling the lizard to halt in accordance with her companions and parents.

"Ladies," he nodded gently to them, his crooked smile revealing straight white teeth. "Gentlemen," he said nodding to Angi who only lifted an eyebrow before glaring as Detia barely stifled a chuckle. No one spoke for a long minute as the group of women gauged the man in front of them. "These roads are dangerous, you know," he stated, brushing a large, rough hand through his short brown hair.

"Oh?" Angi answered, not the least bit interested as her senses caught the body heat of the ten men following them.

The thieves stopped and waited but nothing happened, indicating that the man in front of them was not a thief or their leader. "Yes, there have been a lot of thieves roaming around in this area. Fine ladies like yourselves should be careful." Catching on quickly that Angi was not male.

"We appreciate your concern," Azula nearly lied, seeing as she really didn't care, as she beckoned her lizard to the front of the group. "But I assure you we can take care of ourselves."

His smile grew wider, and he held up his hands in surrender. "I believe you," he stated as he rapidly lowered his hands. The grunts and groans of the thieves echoed through the suddenly silent area as the earth below them literally swallowed them. "But such beautiful women should not have to get their hands dirty with such filth." Azula eyed her surroundings, easily sensing the men who were following them, before they darted back to the apparent earth bender in front of her. "Now that that's done, I'll be on my way. Have a safe journey." He smiled and bowed before he casually continued toward the way they had came, whistling tunelessly.

"That was odd," Ty Lee stated as they watched his retreating form.

Azula and Detia nodded, Angi only continued staring. "Did you catch his name?" The smaller Fire bender asked as she turned her attention to her friend.

"Ohev," Detia answered with a shrug. "He's a nomad. Just traveling."

"Well, that was nice of him to take care of our little problem. Not that we couldn't do it ourselves," Angi stated, not sounding the least bit pleased, before she sighed what sounded like 'that was so anti-climatic.'

Ty Lee chuckled softly at the fire bender's comment. "Shall we be on our way then?" the acrobat asked, lashing her reigns and prompting the lizard forward.

"Omashu here we come!" Angi yelled slightly, but not enough to wake her passenger, with little enthusiasm.

~A little before sunset~

Ty Lee frowned as she looked up at the large mansion for what seemed like the hundredth time. The sounds of laughter, and sometimes sounds of something breaking, echoed down the mountain the mansion precariously sat on, falling on the ears of the acrobat and the ex-princess. Azula chuckled at her wife. "Ty Lee," she chided lightly, "the mansion looks sound. It's not going to cave in while they're running around. They'll be fine."

Though the acrobat nodded, she didn't stop looking at the very old mansion, watching as the wind blew through the tall trees near it and imagining it swaying as well. She sighed. She had tried to talk her child and her friends out of running around the place as harshly as they were. They listened for about a minute before the instigator in the group decided that walking around the creaky old mansion was boring. Eventually, Ty Lee stopped insisting they calm down and simply left the house, refusing to stay the night. Azula watched amused as she followed her wife to the clearing down the mountain, away from the mansion.

"I know," Ty Lee answered finally, going to the rather large, deep stream they were camping beside to fill a thermos with fresh mountain water. "Do you think they'll sleep up there?" she asked innocently, running her nimble hand through the cool water.

Azula's sharp eyes watched her lover carefully, not sure why she was suddenly asking if the children would sleep up in the mansion. In fact, just a second ago, she would have thought Ty Lee would insist on having the children sleep down in the tents with them. "They could be convinced," Azula finally answered once Ty Lee's mischievous grey eyes cast to her.

Ty Lee smirked and turned back to the water, actually surprised that it wasn't colder but quite happy that it wasn't. "How long do you think they'll stay up there?" Azula stood, silently making her way to her wife. Without making a sound, the princess knelt behind her acrobat. "Azula?" Ty Lee called lightly when Azula didn't immediately answer.

"I'm sure it'll be a while," the princess answered as she snaked her arms around Ty Lee's thin waist, leaning against her back and kissing her neck.

Ty Lee shivered, suppressing a slight moan. It only took a slight push to send them tumbling into the water, clothes and all. The acrobat screamed before she hit the water, jumping up instantly, the cool water reaching her neck. She glared at her wife's chuckling, but equally wet, form. "That was mean!" Ty Lee accused and began splashing Azula.

Azula skipped the inferior form of water battle and simply tackled the acrobat, using her height advantage to move through the water just swift enough for Ty Lee to be unable to stop her.

~x~

"Your parents are weird," Angi pointed out, standing in front of a broken window watching Azula and Ty Lee play down by the tents. Then she added with a smirk as the two adults locked into a passionate kiss before Ty Lee wrapped a leg around Azula's and swiftly pulled it out from under her, sending the ex-princess under the water. "That's some odd foreplay."

Detia slapped her arm. 'Stop watching my parents, pervert. We have to find Yuna.'

"Why?" Angi asked, still watching the couple despite the fact that Detia told her to stop. Though she was only doing it to get on the lightning bender's nerves. "This is so much more fun. Damn, I didn't know your mom could bend like that."

Detia ignored her friend, finding that apathy got to her friend more than any response could. The children stood at the window for a second before Detia finally turned away and started down a hall, past an old, newly-broken table. The last thing the lightning bender wanted to do was watch her parents 'play', even though the only thing they were doing at the moment was playing tag in the river. "Hey," Yuna's voice interrupted their steady, silent walk as she appeared, popping up from a hidden passage in the floor. "Come look at what I found."

Without protest, the two other children easily jumped down into the dark, secret passageway under the house. "Where does it go?" Angi asked following behind Yuna carefully as the floor sloped downward.

"You'll see," Yuna answered cryptically. "So shut up," she added before the fire bender could open her mouth and say something else.

Angi humphed loudly but otherwise remained silent. It wasn't long until the small passageway leveled out and expanded. Before she was even asked, Angi lit the lamps hanging on the wall, the smell of old oil telling her where they were. Detia gasped as the cavern lit up. The walls, reaching twenty feet above her, were painted from top to bottom, depicting many scenes from a war long forgotten. Surprisingly, whatever was used to paint the wall remained relatively intact; the paintings were faded, yes. And there was slight cracking, but the ancient flowing script written in a language just as old was easily legible.

Although many pictures donned the wall, there was only one that drew the lightning bender's attention. On the far right, a picture of a fierce warrior dressed in only white leading a charge of fire warriors was painted surrounded by lightning. "Linka?" Detia mouth, barely aware she had said the name as she examined the woman she barely recognized.

All of her memories of her oldest daughter depicted a calm reserved, if not severe young woman. Never once had the heir of the lightning kingdom gave inkling to being a warrior. "She was fierce," Angi noted with approval, coming to stand beside her friend as the lightning bender touched what she could of the painting. "They called her the Blazing White Warrior during the war. She lead my troops through many a battle, striking down the enemy like a white blaze of pure power. It was amazing. I was even awed when I watched her."

"You put my daughter in a war!" Detia yelled, turning to her friend in anger.

"No," Angi answered, her tone clipped and clearly displeased as it rose. "You put your daughter in a war!" In an unexpected burst of anger, the fire bender shoved Detia against the wall, surprising the lightning bender. "The war wouldn't have even started if you hadn't selfishly decided to disappear. You didn't even tell your children you were leaving. You just vanished. And don't even get me started on how that effected Terren." She shoved the white-haired girl again, pushing her further into the wall, sending cracks along the surface and making her wince at the slight sting. "He loved you. We all thought you loved him back, but apparently…"

"Agni!" Yuna's strict tone yelled and pale arms around the tanned girl's waist abruptly stopped her from talking. "You said you were over this. It's in the past. Let it go," she whispered.

Angi sighed, letting her anger go with a puff of smoke. "I'm not apologizing," the Fire bender intoned, glaring at the lightning bender.

Detia brushed the dirt from her white outfit as she sighed. "I don't expect you to," Detia admitted. "I'm sorry for leaving. I thought you could get along without me."

"When have we ever gotten along without you?" Yuna inquired, noticing an excuse when she heard one, as Angi rolled her eyes and nodded.

Detia remained silent, her fist clenching the only indication that she was caught. "You are the balance," Angi pointed out, not catching the subtle hint of Detia's state of mind. "It's your job to balance us out. You shouldn't have just left without saying anything."

The lightning bender bit her lip, unable to meet her friend's piercing gaze. Agni was only waiting for an answer, but it was Yuna's piercing gaze that got to her. "I couldn't…" she paused, her fist clenching, tightening. "I couldn't do anything else." They only gave her questioning looks. "My people were murdered in front of me. My kingdom fell. And I couldn't do anything to stop it. We weren't a war oriented people. I fought as best as I could, harder than I ever fought before in my entire life, and I still failed. I prided myself on being the best; I could easily beat any one of you, physically and mentally. And I…I failed the people who meant the most to me." She chocked back the sob from deep in her throat, biting her lip to stop the tears that threatened to fall. "I felt useless and helpless. Like I couldn't do anything and I kept thinking that everything would be better without me."

"That's just stupid," Angi interrupted. "There wouldn't be anything without you."

Detia smiled slightly. Sometimes the fire bender's complete obliviousness to emotion was a relief. "I didn't say it was logical thought. In retrospect, I know it was stupid. But I'm not perfect, despite how perfect I may seem."

Yuna chuckled and hugged her friend. "You do give off the air of being perfect."

A frown plastered the lightning bender's lips as she pushed the water bender away and glared at the pale girl. It only caused the water bender to chuckle, especially when the lightning bender turned back around to look at the painting of Linka. 'So she was a warrior?'

"The best," Angi answered, choosing to ignore her friend's emotional display – seeing as she didn't really understand it. "By the way, she wasn't angry with you. She, like Maya and Alia, didn't blame you for leaving. They understood."

"It's true," Yuna agreed, answering Detia's shocked gaze. "But Neos isn't too happy with you. So if we do see him, which we may not, he won't stop to talk to you or anything."

Detia nodded, the frown showing her obvious displeasure. She understood, she really did, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. If she hadn't left then his people probably wouldn't have been systematically killed as well. Agni wasn't known to discriminate when she fought, and the majority of the people who attacked the kingdom of lightning were people of the Air. Though it did bring up a good question, at least to her it did. 'I understand why he feels that way, and I understand why Terren doesn't, but why are you two here with me? I wasn't particularly close to either of you in the past. Well, at least not more so than I was to Neos.'

The two other children looked at each other, a silent conversation going on between them. Angi scratched her neck in embarrassment. "Well you see," the fire bender started.

"You were like our mother," Yuna offered, still diverting from the real reason. "You were always separating us when we fought."

"Which was every chance we could get," Angi put in with a sly smile.

"Right," Yuna agreed.

'I don't understand what you're trying to tell me,' Detia admitted.

Angi sighed. "To put it simply, your leaving was the best thing that ever happened to us."

Yuna nodded, smiling sweetly at the Fire bender for a brief second. "They even did this truly horrible play about it on Ember Island a while back."

'Their plays are horrible,' Detia agreed.

"I like them," Angi intoned.

"You would," Yuna countered, laughing lightly and patted the fire bender's cheek as Angi's frown deepened.

Angi only grunted and crossed her arms over her chest. "So is this the only thing you found?"

Yuna scowled. "There is a large chunk of forgotten history on the walls around us. What could be more valuable?"

"Gold," Angi answered as if she were talking to a little child. "Rubies. Sapphires. Diamonds. Silver. Hell, even a clay pot would be worth more than these old paintings. It's not like I can take them off the walls and display them." then added in a whisper, "Or sell them."

The water bender glared at her chosen companion. Detia listened only silently as she continued to examine the paintings. The further away she got from Linka's picture, the earlier the pictures got. It was like reading a book backwards. She stopped on the far side of the cavern, the wall on the direct opposite side of Linka's painting, and stopped breathing. The painting depicted the fall of her city, and unexpectedly, she was thrust back to that time, carried in Terren's strong arms as she watched helplessly as her city fell from the sky, crashing into the water.

The smell of smoke and blood clung to her clothing like an unwanted perfume. She remembered very well the feel of that spear that punctured her body and the pain as she ripped it out. The feel of her metal-laced clothing soaking in her blood like a sponge, how it weighted her down. But she still fought, ignoring the pain when the wound ripped open further as she moved to attack her enemy, to protect her people – no matter how futile an attempt it was – until she was made to stop. Until Terren stopped her. Even now, she could hear her people scream. It echoed over the ocean like a plea as she rode to safety. And then there was nothing, only an eerie silence. "Detia," Yuna's calming voice offered, drawing her back into the real world. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Detia didn't answer as she drew in a ragged breath and rushed out of the cavern, not looking back and not really looking forward as she somehow managed hit the tree line of the forest and continued until she simply collapsed on the edge of a cliff, letting the tears fall freely. She didn't know how long she sat there with her knees pulled to her chest, but the sound of air shifting irregularly made her look back. Oddly, her expression didn't change at the sight of the blond adult air bender, covered in a long sleeved yellow tunic, light blue loin cloth held on by an orange fabric belt. The high collared small orange poncho that came down to the top of his ribs and circled around his torso rustled with the wind. The hate she saw in his sky blue eyes made her flinch.

"It hurts doesn't it?" he spoke first, his tone holding no sympathy, as Detia wiped the streaks of tears from her eyes. The lightning bender didn't reply. "To see your people die and be able to do nothing." Golden eyes cast down to the ground, the only indication that she agreed. "My people could have been spared," his voice lowered.

"I know," Detia finally answered. "I'm sorry. I just…"

"You're sorry," Neos repeated, his laugh cold and forced. "Thousands of my people died because you decided to leave. You're no better than the people who murdered them, slaughtered them like cattle without discrimination. Women, children, the elderly. All of them killed. And for what? Because you couldn't handle the pain. You're worse than those murders."

"I'm not!" Detia denied, standing to defend herself, even though he was a good three feet taller than her. "I can't control what the others do. I can only make suggestions. If you had kept better track of your people, maybe they wouldn't have attacked mine! Then the war never would have started!"

His teeth grit together as he fought the desire to strike her. His clenched fist trembling as his blunt nails dug into his palm. "My people weren't the only ones who attacked yours."

"You're right," Detia agreed, standing tall even though she didn't feel any of the strength she was demonstrating. "And when those who survived the attack on my kingdom went back to their own, do you know what the others did to them. They killed them. But what did your people do?"

"That's not our way," Neos explained angrily.

"I know," the lightning bender's tone softened. "Your way is forgiveness and understanding."

"I know what my people's ways are!" he yelled. "I don't need someone like you telling me! You're weak and pathetic." She stood and took the verbal abuse. "I used to look up to you. You were what I wanted to be. But…" he shook his head biting his lower lip. "How could I look up to someone who abandons their responsibilities and people at a whim? You're pathetic and I…I hate you."

Her fists clenched as her gaze fell to the ground. The air shifting was the only warning that he had left. She let the tears fall as she replayed his words, the sting only slightly tolerable. Quickly, she ran back to the clearing where her parents were, finding Azula sitting next to the fire, wearing different clothes, and Ty Lee messing around in their tent. Azula's golden eyes looked up at the sound of the crisp grass being broken. "Detia?" the ex-princess questioned, taking in the slightly dirty white tunic and the tear streaks down her cheeks. Their gazes met for only a second before Azula found her daughter in her arms. "Detia, what happened?" she asked worriedly, glancing at the tent as Ty Lee rummaged around their bags.

Azula looked down at the little monster in her arms, running a hand through her white hair and trying her best to comfort the little girl. 'Do you think I'm weak?' Detia asked after a minute or so.

"What?" Azula asked, unsure she had heard correctly. "Why would you think that?"

Detia breathed in deeply, trying in vain to stop her tears. 'I left. I left everyone, and so many bad things happened.'

The ex-princess kissed the top of her daughter's head. "You had no control over the things that happened after you left." Azula's long hand ran through white hair to rest on her daughter's chin, prompting the child to look up. "From the way I understand it, they relied too heavily on you to make their decisions. I can understand why they did; you are a very intelligent young woman and always seem to know the right answer to all the questions. You can't be blamed for giving them the power to make their own choices and them screwing up. So, no," Azula answered, "I don't think you're weak for leaving. I do think you should have done it much sooner, though."

Detia chuckled through her sob. "Thank you."

Azula smiled. "You're welcome. What brought all of this on?"

The younger lightning bender only shook her head in the negative as she snuggled deeper into her mother's embrace. "You shouldn't lie to her," Ty Lee reprimanded gently after Detia was fast asleep.

"I wasn't lying," Azula remarked. "I don't think she's weak."

The acrobat nodded as she poured spices she had brought from the fire nation into the pot on the fire. "True," Ty Lee admitted. "But if anyone else had come to you with that scenario would you still feel the same way?"

Azula thought for a second, her hand running through white hair. "No, I suppose not. But it wasn't anyone else. It's my little girl, and she is not weak."

Ty lee smiled and nodded. "Tomorrow we'll continue on our way then?"

"Yes," Azula answered. "I have a feeling that we are fairly lost."

~x~

Everyone was silent. It was around noon and the trail – if it could be called that – was such that they couldn't ride the mongoose lizards for fear of getting hurt. Except Sunstone, who was curled up in one of the empty saddlebags sleeping soundly. Angi was leading the pack, her head in the map. Yuna was behind her pulling one of their lizards, getting angrier as the seconds passed. Detia followed Yuna's lizard, leading the one she was riding. Her parents were behind her with their lizard. Yuna growled as another hour of them walking along a mock trail passed. Grinding her teeth, the water bender dropped the reins of the lizard and snatched the map from the fire bender. "Hey!" Angi yelled at the sudden lack of map in her hands.

"What the hell!" Yuna yelled as she slapped the map. "Look at this map and tell me what you see?"

"I have been looking at the map!" Angi countered.

"No," Yuna said. "Because if you were looking at the map, then you would realize that it's ancient. The very land has changed since then!" she yelled again, ignoring the other three as they approached to see what was going on.

Angi looked at the map then crossed her arms. "It's an honest mistake."

"Honest?" Yuna repeated, her hands gripping the map so hard it tore in half.

"Hey, that's old," Angi argued.

"We are lost in the Earth Kingdom!" Yuna yelled. "And you're worried about your stupid map?"

"Well yeah, it's an original," Angi stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Yuna gave a blood curling scream and tackled Angi suddenly, sending both tumbling down an incline and through the underbrush till Angi landed on solid ground, the air knocked from her lungs. Without even bothering to bend, Yuna punched the firebender, ignoring the dirt and twigs and leaves that covered both of their clothing. Detia, Ty Lee, and Azula followed them through the dense underbrush, carefully leading their lizards down to the area. By the time they got there, Angi was on her feet, a ring of fire stealing the oxygen in front of her as she blocked a dagger of ice sent her way. "Aren't you going to stop them?" Ty Lee inquired, her grey eyes never leaving the fight.

'No,' Detia answered. 'At least, not yet. Let them fight it out.'

Azula chuckled as she patted her mongoose lizard to calm it down. "Besides, they landed on a path."

Detia nodded her agreement, noticing the well-worn road her friends had landed on. 'There's a village close by. We can head toward there once these idiots get finished.'

"I wonder how long it'll take them to notice," Azula questioned.

Detia shrugged as the dirt at Yuna's feet became mud, staining her clothing. 'Probably not long,' she answered cryptically.

"Um," A young male voice interrupted the fight, causing everyone aside from Detia to turn to him. "Is everything okay here?"

Yuna loosened her stance after swiping her hands and forcing the mud from her clothing. Angi lit her entire body on fire, burning the debris on her to a crisp. "Just fantastic," Angi snarled. "I knew what I was doing."

"I'm sorry," Yuna said sarcastically, her arms crossed.

Red eyes glared at the water bender, who just looked away. The young man looked around at the tore up road, back at the little girls who were fighting, then back at the road. "Damn it, this is our only road," he whined, his hands finding a hold in his short brown hair.

"Suck it up," Azula commanded, drawing the attention of the boy to her. He stared at her, his eyes widening in surprise. "It's just a road. It can be fixed." He nodded , still too surprised to speak. "Show us to your village," Azula suggested in annoyance after a few seconds of him only staring at her, causing Ty Lee to giggle.

"Ri..right," he stuttered. "This way."

The village was surprisingly large considering where it was located. Azula judged that it was about as large as Ba Sing Se's lower ring. A large wall even surrounded the village. Though its purpose was to push back the forest's hungry advance and not keep the classes separated. As they entered the village, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the group. It was odd, but everyone seemed to be staring only at Azula. "Do I have something on me?" the ex-princess whispered to her wife.

The acrobat quickly glanced over her wife and shook her head in the negative. "Not that I can see," she replied.

Azula scowled, "Detia," she called but didn't get an answer. "Detia?"

Ty Lee giggled and nudged her wife, grabbing her attention. "She was dragged off by Yuna and Angi just a second ago to explore the village. They didn't even give her time to tell us. I only noticed because her aura began to drift away."

Azula nodded, though the scowl only grew. The couple was lead to the village center, where everyone was gathered. "Our leader," the young man said as an old man, walking with a cane though his back was as straight as a board, stepped forward.

A long white beard hung from his chin, and when he smiled, his brown eyes sparkled. "Welcome," he said warmly, putting his weight on his cane. "It has been a while since we've had visitors. What brings you to our village?"

"Our guide got lost," Ty Lee answered with a slight giggle. "Apparently, she was using the wrong map."

"Oh? Well, it's fortunate that you found our village," the old man replied. "Where is your guide?"

"She and her friend grabbed our daughter and ran off to explore," Azula answered as if she had better things to do, and though it was rude, Ty Lee was glad for the semblance of normality.

"Your daughter?" he asked, looking between the two women – determining that they were both female. He sighed, decided that it wasn't the oddest thing he had heard in his life, and from the golden glare he was receiving from the black haired woman that looked so familiar he decided not to further question it. "This is a large village. Are you not afraid she could get lost?"

Azula scoffed and crossed her arms, still holding the reins of two of the lizards in one hand. The other one was in Ty Lee's hands. "She has a knack for finding us," Ty Lee offered with a smile that rivaled her mate's scowl. "If you could just point us to an inn and a safe place to leave our mongoose lizards, we won't be much trouble."

He nodded kindly. "We have but one inn," he stated, gesturing generally. "It is the large house in the west; no doubt you passed it on your way here. You can leave your lizards in the stable attached to the inn."

"Thank you," Ty Lee said as she turned and screamed. The old man – and everyone watching – tensed and Azula turned ready to fight off whatever had frightened her wife. "Damn it, Sunstone."

Azula chuckled as her dragon crawled out of the saddlebag and onto Azula's extended arm. Her red eyes sparkled in amusement as she wrapped around her chosen's torso. "Be nice," she chided the baby dragon lightly. "She's just a baby, Ty," Azula defended the little thing, whose red eyes widened innocently.

Ty Lee huffed indignantly. "You need to teach that overgrown garden snake some manners."

A puff of smoke rose from the dragon's nose as she lifted her head, but Azula chuckled. "You made her mad, Sun. What did I tell you about doing that?"

"By the gods," the village leader exclaimed. "Do my eyes deceive me? It that really a dragon?"

Ty Lee huffed again. "Yes," Azula answered seriously, rubbing the golden scales between the dragon's head. "This is Sunstone," To reaffirm the statement, Sunstone squawked.

"Such a magnificent creature." He stepped closer in amazement but caught himself and strengthened back up at the sound of Sunstone's low growl. "You must be a very powerful Fire Bender to command such a creature."

It was small, the reaction from the ex-princess. One wouldn't have even noticed if they were actively looking. Of course, Ty Lee noticed the subtle changes in her wife's stance, the curl of her sharp nails into her palm, and the slight creases by her lips as her frown reasserted itself. That particular fire had been extinguished, and though a new one emerged to take its place, the identity being a Fire Bender gave Azula was all she knew. Not having that identity, that sense of self, was still hard for the once firebender, but she hid it well. She had always hid her 'weaker' emotions well. Ty Lee could tell how much it hurt her wife to have everything she thought she was taken from her and did everything in her power to support Azula. She had no doubt that her support and their daughter's was the only reason Azula hadn't fallen back into insanity.

It did not surprise Ty Lee when Azula didn't answer, it was none of their business. However, it did surprise both women when Detia suddenly appeared behind them and answered for her mother. "The best. She's the best Fire Bender ever!" The white haired child walked beside her mother, forcing the woman's hand to uncurl with just a touch before taking the hand.

The girl's golden eyes, so much like her mother, turned to the surprised old man's. According to his thoughts, he was trying to remember where he had seen such a unique appearance. Detia searched his memory, finding it rich with knowledge of the world of long ago. He had found many old scrolls in a cave somewhere near the village that described Detia's people and that's where he had 'seen' someone with her unique appearance. Easily, she blocked these memories. There was no need for him to start making accusations just yet.

The lightning bender turned to her mother with a devious smirk that made Azula smile softly. 'What did you do?' Azula thought.

Detia only shrugged. "Is there someplace we can leave our stuff? There's an arena on the far end of the village where we can practice."

"Really?" Azula answered, truly surprised. Apparently, the place was bigger than she thought.

Detia nodded, looking over to her mommy and smiling, reaching out for her hand. Ty Lee took the offered hand with a warm smile. The acrobat turned to the village leader and bowed slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My wife and I are tired from our travel and wish to rest." The old man nodded his understanding, though his brown eyes never left Detia. "Come along."

The walk to the inn wasn't as long as Azula thought it would be. With Detia leading the way through the maze of houses and business, it took less than five minutes. Azula plastered a glare on her regal face as the people of the village continued to stare. When Ty Lee asked Detia what they were staring at, the lightning bender answered that Azula reminded them of one of the younger villagers. She even admitted that from the villager's mind's eyes the two looked very much alike. The ex-princess only huffed and continued to glare at the villagers until they reached the building with a sign that stated: Inn.

The inn was decorated in warm earth tones, not that that surprised either of the three entering the two story building. The mongoose lizards had been tied up in the stables. The saddlebags were brought in by a helpful stable hand and placed on the floor by the door. "It's kinda cozy," Ty Lee offered optimistically.

"In an Earth Kingdom kind of way, sure," Azula agreed pessimistically, just to hear her daughter – who had never let go of her hand – giggle.

Detia didn't disappoint, but Ty Lee did lightly slap her arm. "Hi," a friendly female voice called from behind the previously unoccupied counter. "Are you here for a room?"

Azula looked up from her child, having already smiled at her wife, and into golden eyes that matched her own. Had she been a lesser person, she would have backed up in surprise at the identical, but younger, woman that stood behind the counter of the inn. As it was, Azula's grip on Detia's hand tightened for a second before loosening. Ty Lee gasped, her hands going to her mouth, but neither of the two other women took notice. The girl standing behind the counter fiddled with the hem of her green tunic as her golden eyes widened. Her charcoal hair was swept back into a loose pony tail, random strands falling to frame her sharp, royal, distinctively fire nation features. Azula barely suppressed a growl and ground her teeth together to do so. The girl became even more rigid at Azula's reaction.

Detia watched as if she were a third party, noting the similarities and difference between the girl and her mother. They had the same features, eye color, skin tone and hair color. Had a stranger walked in the two would probably be mistaken for sisters, for the girl was obviously younger. The subtle differences were what set them apart, aside from age. Azula was a warrior and a princess, a person who constantly strived and worked vigorously at what she was, and held herself as such. Even when she was relaxed, she still exuded a sense of command and superiority. The girl did not give off such a demanding presence. Though she did give off a presence that demanded attention, it wasn't the same as one given off by royalty. It was a presence much like Zuko's, Detia decided, soft and gentle. A presence of someone who got everything they wanted in life with little effort.

The little lightning bender stared at the girl's gold eyes. The girl had never seen war or death or insanity. She had never felt real fear or hatred, had never felt as if there was no one she could trust, no one to love who would love you in return. The girl knew only love and adoration and safety from harm. There was innocence in her eyes that even Detia did not possess, an innocence that reminded the young outcast of Ursa and Lu Ten. Azula's eyes were hard and observant, the eyes of a warrior. Even now when the war was long over, they still spoke of the things she had endured. The things she had seen and felt; the loneliness she had to endure her whole life since she was a child.

"Mom!" the girl called behind her, never breaking contact with the ex-fire bender and bringing everyone's attention to the older woman who emerged from someplace in the back.

The older woman, probably somewhere in her late forties or early fifties came from the back, drying her long, wrinkled hands on an apron. Her hair fell in a long braid, the white sprinkled here and there through the otherwise black hair. "Aza I'm busy," the older woman chided lightly, her face still cast down as she brushed her apron of flour. "What is it that you need?"

At the sound of the woman's voice, Azula gasped lightly and stepped back just once, fighting the anger that boiled in her and the tears that threatened to fall. Detia let go of her mother's hand as she continued to observe. The older woman looked up, her golden eyes widening at the women who stood on the other side of the counter. Ty Lee seemed to be frozen in place, far too surprised to so much as make a noise. Detia recognized the older woman instantly, even though she was older – her features more weathered than in the many pictures she had seen thought out her life. "Mother," Azula hissed, sounding much like an accusation rather than a statement of joy.

"Azula," the woman answered back, her tone surprised but regal and calm.

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

Of Fire

Chapter 21

The air was thick with tension as mother and daughter stared at each other. Detia had no doubt that if her mother could still bend fire the Inn would be nothing more than ash at that very second. Surprisingly, it was Azula who broke the silence, chuckling cruelly. "I see you finally have the daughter you always wanted."

Ursa sighed as if she was too old for this, which did nothing to ease Azula's mood. "Azula," she repeated softly, a worn smile warming her expression.

Detia watched as the woman's smile only angered her mother more. The thoughts racing through Azula's mind were erratic and livid with Ursa's journal and the things she wrote. The rapid succession of memories that gave proof to the written words was hard for Detia to follow, but she saw enough to know what her mother was feeling. Not that she needed to see what Azula was thinking to understand how the ex-fire bender was feeling. The violent colors in her aura were enough to clue her in. And from the look on Ty Lee's face, the acrobat was seeing the same violent reds flare into Azula's aura. Detia moved first, before her mother could say anything further, and touched Azula's clenched fist, drawing the woman's golden eyes down.

Ty Lee smiled as her wife's aura cooled the instant Azula looked at their daughter. She couldn't hear the conversation the two were undoubtedly having but whatever it was had Azula's aura stabilizing to calm cool blue. So, when Azula turned back to her mother, it was with a composed, if not calculating, mind, which was ultimately better than a mind clouded with anger.

Ursa's head tilted just slightly in curiosity at who her oldest daughter was looking at. From her position behind the solid counter she could not see who Azula smiled at and pulled closer, and she dared not move near enough to find out. Not when Azula was so agitated. The smile alone, one so full of love, baffled the older woman. At one time, she believed her oldest daughter incapable of love. She could not remember a time when Azula had smiled like that to anyone. Except maybe once when she was younger, and even then, it was towards Ty Lee. Ursa turned her attention to the young woman at her daughter's side. Last she heard, Ty Lee had run off and joined the circus, but that was a very long time ago. The woman before her was far from the happy little child doing cartwheels in the garden.

The older woman's gaze turned back to her older daughter, whose golden eyes looked back at her. Vaguely, she wondered where Azula found the golden armor that looked so much like a dragon. She could still see the things she saw when Azula was but a child, the calculating cold. The only difference being that it was stronger and more dominant than before, distinctly reminding the exiled princess of her husband. Ursa's golden eyes turned to her youngest child, who had yet to move lest she bring attention to herself. The two sisters could not have been more different, Ursa deduced easily. For a brief moment, she wondered if she had spent more time with Azula, showed her the same affection she showed Zuko and Aza, would she have turned out more like her younger sister. Mentally, she waved the idea off. Azula was Ozai's daughter, and nothing she could have done would have changed that.

Because of her position, Ursa didn't see Detia's scowl, but Ty Lee did and wondered at it but didn't say anything. "Mother." The word was clipped and hard but drew Ursa from her musings. "I see you are well," Azula tried again, trying to keep the bite out of her tone. Though, it appeared to be physically hard on her.

"I am," Ursa confirmed. "I see you are in good health as well."

Azula answered honestly, "I've been better."

The older woman nodded, "I see," but didn't ask for further details. "And Zuko?"

The ex- Fire bender swallowed hard, biting back the scathing remark just at the tip of her tongue. "He's Fire Lord now," Ty Lee came to the rescue, wrapping an arm around Azula's waist and lightly touching her wife's arm in an attempt to soothe her.

"Fire Lord!" Ursa remarked, the joyful surprise in her tone the first real emotion she showed through the whole ordeal. "What happened to Ozai?"

"Prison," Azula answered calmly. Ty Lee's supple body pressing against her side was doing wonders to drive out the anger.

For a moment, the older woman looked thoughtful, recalling a certain blind Earth Bender who stumbled upon the city years ago saying the same thing. "Well, I suppose that's for the best," Ursa replied.

"I suppose." Azula remarked.

"Wait a second," The young woman behind the desk interrupted, causing everyone in the room to turn to her. "So, you really are my sister?"

"It would appear so," Azula answered noncommittally.

The girl's smile widened with an expression Detia identified as elation. "Sweet!" she exclaimed and turned to Ursa. "You didn't tell me I had a sister, too."

Ursa didn't get a chance to comment before Azula inquired, "So you knew about Zuko?" Azula's hawk eyes narrowed when Aza nodded, oblivious to the implication. Azula's grip tightened on her daughter's hand before letting it go completely. "Well mother, it would seem my first statement was true."

Before anyone could stop her, Azula stormed out of the building. Ty Lee followed after a second of confusion, leaving Detia in the inn with her extended family. "What happened?" the girl inquired. "Did I say something wrong?"

Detia rolled her golden eyes, turning from the door to her mother's sister. "You cannot be that stupid."

"Hey!" she exclaimed as her mother took this chance to move forward and see the child that was more than likely her granddaughter. Ursa's gasp at the white haired spirit in human form, who saved her oldest daughter's life so long ago, standing in front of the counter stopped Aza from continuing. "Mom?"

"It's you!" Ursa exclaimed, almost pointing at the child.

Detia's narrowed eyes, so much like Azula's, turned to the older woman. "Do I know you?" Detia answered, knowing full well that she did.

"Who are you?" Ursa nearly demanded, some of her calm returning to her tone.

The white haired child stood tall and regal. "I am Detia, only child of Azula and Ty Lee." She enlighten, decided to leave out the fact that she and parents were royalty.

Ursa and her daughter only stared at the child. Aza's confused expression showed clearly on her face, her mother's was hidden but still apparent to the mind reader. "Who's Ty Lee?" Aza asked, though she assumed it was that woman with the brown hair who was with her sister. But then that didn't make sense.

Detia rolled her eyes again. "The woman with brown hair that ran after your sister." Again, there was a silence as the older females in the room tried to comprehend how two women could have a child. Before either could ask, Detia remarked. "Just because your small minds can't comprehend how something happens doesn't mean it's not possible."

Her grandmother scowled at Detia's tone and behavior. And while Detia knew it was rude and against her better upbringing, she could not bring herself care at the moment. "Did your mother raise you to be this rude to your elders?" Ursa inquired, she could only hope that her oldest daughter had better manners than that.

Detia's golden eyes narrowed. And though from the older woman's thoughts, she knew that Ursa did not mean the question in the way it came out; it still angered her. "My mother raised me just fine," Detia answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is no small feat considering she had no experience with good parenting." She almost smirked when Ursa flinched but stopped herself. "It's you I'm angry with."

"Me?" Ursa inquired, placing a hand over her heart.

"Why are you angry with her?" Aza interrupted. "You just met her."

For a second, Detia's eyes turned to her aunt then back at her grandmother. "The only reason I brought my mother back was because you loved her so much." Which was a lie, but they didn't need to know that. "I don't know what happened to you between then and the day I was born. I don't know why you suddenly decided that she wasn't worth your time, but you hurt her in a way that can't be repaired by anyone but you." She paused to let that knowledge sink in. "When I was born, Ty Lee's biggest fear was that Azula would be like you. For the longest time it baffled me why she would think that. The woman I remembered was a loving, caring mother, but then I read your journal." Ursa gasped. "Yes, Azula found it in the room she died in, and I found it in her room, hidden in the wall. After I read it, I realized why my mommy was so afraid of my mother becoming like you. The fear was unfounded though. Ultimately, even though she had no one to mother her, to show her that kind of love, she is still a better mother than you."

"You take that back," Ursa warned calmly – though the reds in her aura gave her anger away. "You don't know what I had to go through."

The lightning bender's expression was thoughtful before she answered, as if weighing her options. "True, I do not know what you had to go through," she admitted. "But whatever it was did not warrant your active favoritism towards your son. So, I will not take it back," Detia refused calmly, standing firmly. "I find it odd that everyone finds it so easy to betray my mother. At fourteen, she almost expected people to betray her and those feelings all started with you. Everything bad that's happened to her happened because you weren't there for her, and you don't even care. All you care about is your son and husband."

"That isn't true," Ursa denied.

"The first thing you asked her after she told you she'd been better wasn't 'what happened' it was 'How is Zuko?' What's wrong with you? What kind of mother does that? I thought you loved her."

"I do. I love all my children," Ursa exclaimed, unbelieving for a second that she was defending herself and her actions to a child.

Detia only shrugged, she was through with this conversation. She had said what she wanted. "We'll need two rooms." She informed, looking at the younger of the two women behind the counter, who just stood there. "Aziza!" Detia yelled, causing her aunt to jump.

"Two rooms, right. Got it!" the young woman quickly pulled two keys from a board on the wall before she stopped and turned back around. "Wait, how did you know my name?"

"I can read minds," Detia answered with a flip of her hand, as if she were saying the sky was blue. "So, the rooms?"

"I didn't know spirits could read minds," Ursa commented, earning a lifted eyebrow from both her daughter and granddaughter.

"They can't," Detia answered. "I'm not a spirit, nor have I ever been a spirit. So, the rooms?"

"Uh…" Aziza started, the keys to the two rooms in her hand, looking to her mother then back to the little girl. "I'll show you."

~x~

Azula walked, well stormed, through the streets of the Earth Kingdom village until she came upon a large pond. She growled at it, kicking a rock into the placid surface before plopping down into a meditative form. For a second, her temper cooled. The deep breathing and clearing of her mind brought her boiling rage to a simmering dislike. That was until the sound of ducks quacking ruined her meditation. One hawk-like golden eye opened to see the little turtle-duck swimming by itself in the pond in front of her. Both eyes opened as she watched silently. For a moment, she felt connected to the little duckling as it swam restlessly around the open water, calling for its mother.

That is until its mother came into the view, rushing to the baby and coddling it. They quacked happily and sent her anger back to a boiling point. Without even thinking about it, she lifted a large nearby rock with every intention of throwing it at the happy little family. Why did it get to have what she didn't? What was so special about a stupid duck? Her hand trembled with the rage and jealousy flaring within her, and just as she was about to let the rock fly, a cold hand wrapped around her wrist, causing her to drop the rock. "That's uncalled for," the voice of the young water bender admonished.

Azula's golden eyes turned to Yuna then back to the ducks, unable to find even a hint of her earlier anger and cursed the water bender's calming voice. Yuna let Azula's hand go, watching as it dropped limply to the ex-princess' side. "What are you doing here?" Azula asked as if a hundred years was suddenly weighing down on her.

The water bender regally sat beside Azula, crossing her hands in her lap. "I thought you might want someone to talk to. Detia said you might need it."

Azula snorted. "No offense, but you're just a child."

Yuna scowled and rolled her eyes, but Azula didn't see it seeing as she was still looking into the pond – the turtle-ducks long gone. "Fine," She stated, her voice deeper and more mature, "Would you prefer if I were in this form?"

Azula turned to the water bender and if she had been sitting on something she would have fallen off of it at what she saw. As it were, Azula sat wide eyed and slack jawed at the pale adult woman sitting beside her. "Une?" she finally managed, swallowing hard.

The woman chuckled, the amused look on her face irritating the ex-princess. "Une, Yuna, what's in a name?" She flipped her hand with a smile before placing it on Azula's shoulder. "We'll go into further discussion about my appearance at a later time. Right now, I want you to tell me why you were going to throw that rock at those innocent ducks." Azula remained silent, though she did growl. The water goddess sighed and grabbed Azula's chin, forcing the ex-fire bender to look at her. "I may not be your doctor anymore, Azula, but my rules still stand. Nothing you say to me will be repeated, and I will not judge you for it."

Azula jerked away from her once doctor, a well-manicured hand rubbing against her arm as she turned back to the pond. "I met my mother today," Azula started, oddly finding the presence of her doctor very comforting.

"I see."

"She has another daughter. She called her Aza." Golden eyes turned to the pale woman, judging her neutral expression and glad that nothing seemed to have changed with her. "I was so angry at first. I felt like I had been replaced. I look at this girl, who can't be more than five years older than Detia, and see how much we differ. She looks just like Zuko, with all the love and care my mother could give her. That she didn't give me."

"At first?" Une inquired, placing a comforting hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"My child, my precious little monster, informed me that people can change. That maybe Ursa had regretted the way she treated me as a child. I was willing to believe it. After all, I'm a prime example of someone changing." She chuckled, though it was forced.

"Why were you so angry just now then?"

Azula sighed, pulling her legs up to her chest. "It was going well, all things considered, maybe more than a little forced. She asked me how I was, I told her the truth that I had been better. She nodded and said 'I see'. For a second, I thought maybe she was going to ask what happened to me. That she cared enough. But then she asked how Zuko was. I let it slide, I understood, she hadn't seen us in a long time. So naturally, she'd want to know how he was doing. But I came to find out that she told her other daughter about him and not me."

"Aza knew about Zuko?" Une questioned, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.

Azula nodded, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall. "Why would she tell her about him but not me?" She paused and took deep breaths to try and calm herself as she moved her legs till they were stretched out in front of her. "You know, I found out why she started to believe I was a monster." She didn't let Une ask before she continued. "I was very little, about three or so, when I died," Une gasped; this was news to her. "My father was so angry that he attacked me, and I died. Detia brought me back."

"And Ursa feared the darkness in your eyes and started to favor your brother," Une finished, surprising the ex-fire bender.

"How did you know?"

Une sighed. "It's happened before. We don't usually bring a person back to life because when they return to the living they change. Even if they remember nothing of what happened, or their time in the spirit world, their eyes darken. People tend to confuse the darkening with a person getting colder. But it isn't true. Someone doesn't just go into the spirit world after death and come out completely unscathed. I'm guessing your bending became better and your mind was sharper."

"That's what she wrote," Azula agreed, watching as Une sighed.

"The spirit world is a place of peace and tranquility. When a person dies and they go into that land, they are at peace with everything, and when they come back that tranquility stays with them. Usually their minds are clear and sharp, able to see all sides of a matter and the best way to do things. Your father probably used that to his advantage, turning that peace into something completely opposite."

Azula only nodded, very glad for the brief distraction. The silence between the two stretched for what felt like forever. "What should I do?" Azula asked.

Astonishment flittered over Une's face. Azula had never asked for her advice before. "You really want my opinion?"

Completely serious golden eyes turned to her, "I don't know what to do." She paused as she gathered her thoughts. "At the very beginning, I hated my daughter. I wanted nothing to do with her, but over a short period of time, I learned to love her with everything I am. I can't imagine ever treating her like my mother treated me. Even knowing that she's more powerful and intelligent than me doesn't change the way I feel about her. She could be the most powerful being on the planet, but she'd still be my little girl. She'd still come to me when she's scared or worried or just needs to be comforted, and I would be there for her. That's the kind of mother I know how to be. I can't begin to understand how my mother can do the things she does. And if you tell anyone I said this I will kill you."

Une chuckled and placed a hand on Azula's shoulder. "Your secret's safe with me, and I understand how you feel. My advice to you would be to talk to your mother." Azula grimaced. "I know; it will be hard. I never said it wouldn't. But you have questions, and she has answers. You don't have to do it today. In fact, I suggest you go back to the inn, spend time with your family, ignore your mother if you have too, explore the city a little, maybe train a little in the arena, and think about what you want to say to Ursa. Then, when you're ready, sit down and talk to her, privately."

Azula nodded, looking out at the calm water. "So you can change your form?" She decided to change the subject, and then paused. "Well, I guess I already knew that."

Une chuckled. "Yeah, guess you did."

"Does Detia know?"

The doctor nodded. "She's aware."

"Azula!" the worried voice of the ex-princess' mate called out as the sounds of Ty Lee running echoed off the walls of the buildings. The acrobat skidded to a stop when she caught sight of her wife. "Azula." Slightly out of breath, Ty Lee approached the two women.

"Let's see how long it takes her to notice," Une whispered with a conspiratorial smirk.

Azula nodded just enough to let her doctor know that she had heard. "Ty Lee," Azula called back, turning to watch the woman she loved walk up to her.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," the acrobat admitted, turning her attention to the woman sitting beside her wife briefly before turning back to Azula. "Are you okay? I think we left Detia back at the…" she paused, her eyes drawing back to the woman Azula was sitting next to. "Une?" the acrobat questioned, recognizing the calm solid blue aura.

The water bender chuckled, turning to look at the surprised look on the expressive face of the acrobat. "Ty Lee," the doctor nodded, still smiling. "You look well."

"What are you doing here?" The acrobat ignored the comment. "Not that I'm not glad you are, but what are you doing here?" she repeated the question.

"She came with us," Azula answered, earning a confused look from her wife and gentle slap on the arm from Une.

"You weren't supposed to tell her." Une admonished gently.

"I'm confused," Ty Lee admitted, looking from her wife to the doctor several times and still unable to understand what was going on. "What am I missing?"

Before anyone could answer, Angi walked up, stopping beside the acrobat, though her attention was completely on the blue rock in her hand. "Hey Yuna, you have to try this Jennamite. I totally forgot how much I love this stuff, way better than fire flakes." Her red eyes looked up into the blue eyes of her companion and the smile on her face fell. "I see you're in adult form. What was the name you went by while in this form?" She thought a moment, ignoring the acrobat's gasp of surprise. "It was Une, right? Detia's gonna feel left out if we're both adults. She can't do that yet."

"Then stay the way you are," Une stated the most obvious solution, increasing the fire bender's frown.

"You should just accept it, and don't ask too many questions. It's easier that way," Azula told her still stunned wife.

The comment drew the attention of the other two benders to Ty Lee, who was standing with a blank expression on her face. Grey eyes turned to Azula for a moment, latching onto the one thing that was different about her. "Where's Sunstone?"

"Back at the inn, I told her to watch after Detia," the ex-princess answered.

Ty Lee nodded, her eyes turning back to Une then to Angi. "We should probably go back to make sure she hasn't hurt anyone. She was just as upset as you were."

"Probably gave that woman a piece of her mind too," Angi remarked, her smirk devious. "I remember back in the day whenever one of us was going to do something stupid. She would shoot us down in that blunt, calm manner of hers. It used to piss me off so much."

Une laughed as she stood. "I remember."

"I do too," Detia's voice deadpanned beside the Firebender, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Shit! Where the hell did you come from?" Angi demanded, small flames licking her wrists.

Detia looked at her blankly then turned to Une with a white eyebrow lifted. Une only shrugged. "It was necessary."

The lightning bender nodded. "Hey, don't ignore me!"

"I wasn't ignoring you. You asked a stupid question that I did not think needed a reply," Detia answered with all the calm bluntness in the world.

For a second, fire engulfed Angi's arms before it was smothered to nothing but a dull stream of smoke. "Sometimes, I really hate you," she mumbled, crossing her arms and turning her attention to the golden baby dragon, though it was longer than she was, hovering behind the lightning bender.

To distract herself and help her calm down, the god of fire examined the little dragon. She determined that it was in good health and should start blowing fire soon. A smile came to her face at that thought. Dragons were not known to be able to control their fire breathing during their hatchling years. Oh! That would be so much fun to witness!

This time Detia did ignore her friend as she walked to her sitting mother. Fluidly, the little goddess held out a set of keys. 'I got two rooms at the inn,' she thought as she dropped the keys in her mother's hand. Just as quickly as the keys left her hand, a scroll with a leather strap replaced it, an identical one still tied to her belt. 'I also took the liberty to write this letter to Uncle Zuko, telling him where to find his mother. I thought Sunstone would take it back to the Fire Nation. The second scroll is to Toph, I mean Queen Toph, telling her where we are. I think we've had enough adventure. Thunder will be taking that one.'

Azula took the scroll and opened it briefly to skim over the detailed directions to their current location, not even bothering to ask how Detia knew where they were. Her golden eyes turned to the innocent red ones beside her daughter's head and silently commanded the dragon to come to her. Sunstone did as she was told and moved closer to Azula. The ex-princess strapped the scroll to Sunstone's back. "Do you know where to go?" The dragon nodded. "Good. Be safe."

Sunstone nodded again and took off into the sky. Everyone around watched the dragon leave, but it was Azula whose gaze turned away first, looking at her daughter's neutral expression but amazement shining through her golden eyes. The little lightning bender turned to her mother just in time to see the smile on her face before she was pulled into her lap and a strong, warm embrace. For a second, Detia froze at her mother's completely uncharacteristic action. That second passed quickly, and Detia relaxed into the embrace as she laid her head on her mother's shoulder. She was vaguely aware of her friends leaving the area, which left only Ty Lee standing. 'Are you okay?' Detia asked, and Azula's hug tightened.

"Did I ever make you feel like this?" Azula asked in a loud whisper, aware of Ty Lee's gentle intake of air and the tears that pooled under her grey eyes.

The lightning bender hesitated before answering honestly. 'Yes, when I was really little.'

Again the embrace tightened. "I'm sorry," the ex-princess apologized.

Detia pulled away from her mother to look in her eyes, so full of regret and seeking forgiveness. "I forgave you for that a long time ago. I couldn't ask for a better mother."

Azula smiled, cupping her daughter's cheek with one hand. "You are such a good girl, and I am so proud of you."

Ty Lee sobbed, a hand to her mouth to try to stop the sound, drawing her family's attention to her. She wiped her eyes with the back of sleeve. Azula stood suddenly as she tucked the key into a pouch attached to her belt. "Well, enough of all this…mushy-ness," Azula said, her normal mask of indifference becoming dominant. "Let's explore the city while we're here." She paused for a second as she took Detia's hand and moved over to her wife, taking her hand as well. "Where is Thunder?"

Detia shrugged as they made their way to the center of town. 'He'll be here soon.'

~x~

"Well," Azula remarked dryly as they entered the bustling market place. "This is just like every other market place I've ever been to."

Only a few of the people shopping in the district stopped to pay the visitors any heed, most being far too busy shopping to even bother. "Oh, come on Azula," Ty Lee offered optimistically, wrapping her arms around her wife's. "This is a secluded Earth Kingdom village. We could find something," she paused as she tried to think of the right word, "nifty," she finished, earning her a blank, disbelieving look from both her daughter and wife. "What?"

"I suppose it's possible. Unlikely, but possible," Detia conceded, her mother nodding vaguely in agreement.

Ty Lee rolled her grey eyes. "You're as bad as she is," she chided Detia lightly.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Azula almost sounded offended, but Ty Lee could tell she was more amused than anything.

Knowing this, the acrobat did not answer as something shiny caught her attention, and she dragged her family over to it. Simultaneously, Detia and Azula sighed at the jewelry displayed across the table behind a sheet of glass. For her part, Ty Lee effectively ignored their reaction, internally shaking her head at how much alike they were. Vaguely, she wondered if Sokka and Aang had the same problem with their daughters. The merchant noticed her then and started telling her about the jewelry she was looking at. Not that she listened. She learned not to believe everything merchants say long before she left the academy.

Her attention was averted from the jewelry as an annoying screech assaulted her ears, and from the expressions on her wife and daughter's faces, it was assaulting their ears as well. The screeching, much like nails on a chalk board, was suddenly accompanied with the sound of a different kind of screeching. Notably, the second screeching was nowhere near as annoying as the first. The second resembling someone who was clearly tone deaf abusing an otherwise harmonious instrument. Meaning it was terrible, but sometimes the right note was hit to alleviate the pain. "What the hell is that?" Azula demanded.

The merchant chuckled and shook his head. "Two of our village idiots are attempting to play the instruments from a long lost civilization. The archeologist will give them away to whomever can play them properly."

"What kind of instruments?" Ty Lee inquired, clearly interested.

The merchant shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that those idiots who are attempting to play them try every day, and one of these days, they are going to be killed for it."

"Let's check it out!" the acrobat exclaimed.

With her hands over her ears, Azula turned to her wife, the closest thing to a glare she would give her lover expressed clearly. "Let me get this straight, you want to get closer to that noise." Ty Lee nodded happily, assuming a completely innocent, child-like expression. "Sometimes," the ex-princess growled, removing her hands from her ears just to ball them into fists. "Let's get this over with."

Ty Lee gave the closest thing to squeal an adult could give, which was almost exactly like the ones she could do when she was a child before her voice deepened with age, and she hugged her wife. "You won't regret this," Ty Lee promised.

"I better not," Azula agreed angrily, though her mind was already coming up with ways her Ty Lee would be repaying her.

Detia groaned and not because of the noise as she took a slight lead, distance was best in these kinds of situations. It was easier to tune out her mother's thoughts the further away she got.

Instead of following the quickly retreating villagers, like any sane person would, the trio did the opposite, not surprisingly finding the village idiots quickly. If Azula had still been a Firebender, she would have turned them to ash the instant she saw them, just for temporarily making her deaf. As it were, she turned her glare on full. Which, given her new found lightning bender tendencies, had the potential to literally freeze them in shock and fear. The ex-princess, however, was new to her bending and her glare only resulted in the same result it usually produced. The two idiots stopped once their eyes landed on her, and started to shake with fear. They associated the glare to an angry saber tooth-moose-lion, an angry female saber tooth-moose-lion protecting her young.

As expected when the cruel smile slowly formed on her lips, the two had enough sense to run away. Detia stared up at her mother in sheer awe as the façade vanished. "Well," Azula said happily, "I feel much better now."

Ty Lee only giggled at her wife's behavior. 'Can I learn that?' Detia asked.

Azula nodded, placing a hand on her head, "Yes. It's in your next lessons I have planned."

"What are you teaching our daughter?" Ty Lee asked rhetorically with an exasperated sigh as she walked towards the abandoned instruments.

Azula only smiled. "At least I haven't lost my touch," she said proudly as she followed her wife.

Ty Lee didn't even respond to that as she picked up the smaller of the two instruments, the one that was being used as a guitar or banjo (and making the annoying nails on chalk board sound) but was much too small for such a thing. The man from the shop came out of hiding once he was sure those idiots had stopped. "Hello ladies," he said kindly with a tip of his straw hat, the relief in his features as clear as the sun on a cloudless day at noon. "How can I help you today?"

Ty Lee flipped the instrument, which really did look like a miniature guitar only with more feminine, even curvature. The long thin neck pulled four thin strings taunt and could probably be used as a weapon if they were removed. Ty Lee held the instrument like one would a guitar but the strings cut into her hand and she held it out again. The archeologist only smiled as she re-examined the instrument.

While she was looking at the smaller instrument, Azula looked at the bigger one. She really had nothing to compare it too. It was a triangular box in basic shape housing many strings with the top board dipping once then coming up slightly to dip again in an effort to create a sort of elaborate wave, though the board that the strings were attached to was slanted straight. The plans of the strings were perpendicular to the soundboard, though Azula didn't know that; she didn't know anything about any kind of instrument. That kind of knowledge had been deemed pointless at a very young age. What made this instrument truly odd, though, was that it was tall, almost coming to the bottom of her chin, with at least thirty strings. There was no feasible way to play the thing without sitting down or standing, one could not easily pick it up.

"Where did these instruments come from?" Ty Lee asked, neither adults noticing that Detia had yet to approach them.

The man continued to smile as he answered, "They are replicas of artifacts found in a cave very close to this city."

"Oh?" Ty Lee asked, setting the small instrument on a nearby table.

"Yep," he said happily. "The leader of the city found the cave by accident when we were just little kids. We've been studying everything in the cave since then."

"What nationality made them?"

He chuckled, which got on Azula's nerves more than anyone else's. "We believe it's from a tribe of people who were destroyed long ago." He laughed at himself. "We can't decipher most of the writings on the walls and on some of the scrolls. Moreover most of the things in the cave are in heavy metal boxes. So, half of what could be studied can't be."

"And these instruments?" Azula inquired, taking a seat in the chair in front of the instrument, finally noticing that her daughter was not there looking with them but still standing in the middle of the street staring, the color from her face completely drained. 'Detia,' she called mentally.

The girl didn't respond but the man started talking again. "We don't actually know the names of these instruments. But I like to call them…"

"A harp and a violin." Detia supplied as she slowly walked up to Ty Lee and took the smaller instrument in her hands, resting the bottom between her chin and left shoulder for a second.

Her golden eyes grew distant as the memories flooded her senses. Her right hand made the practiced motions of running a bow along the strings, and she was home in the garden of her pristine palace, smiling at her daughters as they watched in amazement. The youngest and the most bold of the three stood and ran the short distant, which couldn't have been more than a foot or two, to place her small hands in her mother's lap. Innocent grey eyes looked up at her as pale yellow locks tumbled from her pigtails, waving in the small breeze. And then she smiled.

Detia sighed, drew out of the memory forcefully, and placed the violin on the table a bit too roughly though it did not break. Her golden eyes looked up into the light green eyes of the archeologist and noticed how distant they looked. "What the hell was that?" he demanded as Detia turned to see similar expressions on her parent's faces.

"We all saw it," Azula confirmed the unasked question, shaking her head slightly to get the images out of her head.

"Sorry?" Detia guessed and turned back to the man. "I didn't mean to bring you into my memory," She said aloud then changed the subject. "The violin needs a bow in order to play it properly." The lightning bender turned to her parents with an indulgent smile. "It was my favorite."

"A bow," the man repeated, very eager to push what he had just witnessed as far away from the front of his mind as possible. "What kind of bow?"

"I could draw it for you," Detia answered instead of giving a description.

Within a second, a pen and paper were placed on the table in front of the child and it took Detia about that long to draw, in detail, the bow for the violin. "What about this one?" Ty Lee asked, pointing to the bigger instrument.

Detia handed the drawing to the man and turned to the harp. "I never liked the harp. It's big and bulky and a pain to carry around."

"So you can't play it?" Azula challenged.

"I didn't say that," Detia corrected. "I just said I didn't like it. It was Maya's favorite instrument."

Ty Lee lifted an eyebrow, "Maya? Which one was Maya?" Unable to get the image of the happy little blonde from the memory out of her mind.

Azula moved so Detia could sit in the seat. The lightning bender closed her eyes as her hands plucked the strings in a calm pleasant melody. "Maya was the middle one, the one with the darker yellow hair. My people loved her. They liked to portray her as the embodiment of a lightning bender. They would always say that she was everything a member of my people should be. She was calm and understanding and giving. Some of the diplomats from the other nations would often confuse her calm nature with a lack of intelligence or a slower mind. The truth couldn't have been more opposite. She had more than a basic knowledge of just about everything," She stated with a warm smile, still playing the harp like she had been studying it all her life. "She married Agni's son and became Fire Lady sometime before the end of the War of the Gods."

"An arranged marriage?" Azula inquired, impressed that her daughter was still playing like a professional despite being distracted. Though, none of that emotion showed in her body language or facial features.

Detia scowled, reminding Ty Lee of Azula so much it made her smile. "I would never force my children into a union that was not of their own choosing."

"Who was that little one then?" Ty Lee inquired, moving closer to her daughter. "I'm guessing that the oldest one with the short white hair was Linka."

Detia nodded. "The youngest one was Alia. She couldn't bend lightning like the other two." Her golden eyes opened to look fondly at Ty Lee. "Her specialty was the same as yours, mommy. In fact, she acted a lot like you."

"Really!" Ty Lee exclaimed happily.

Detia smiled happily, "Yes. She married into a Fire Nation noble family. Actually, you are a descendent of hers, mommy."

The lightning bender smiled at her mommy's ecstatic aura. "Does that mean that Ty Lee and I are related?" Azula questioned, as if asking if the grass was green.

But Ty Lee gasped at the implication. "No. None of my children were biologically related to me. Not that it would matter since it's been so long."

"Wait," the archeologist interrupted. "You're a lightning bender! You look just like the people painted on the walls of the cave," he stated in sheer amazement. Detia's scowl returned. "The things you must know! I would love to study…" He paused as Detia cracked one eye open only a little so no one would notice. "What was I saying?"

For a second, there was utter silence – minus the sounds coming from the harp – until Azula started chuckling. Closing her eyes the lightning bender assumed a ridiculously innocent face, even if there were hints of a smug smile forming on her lips. "Detia," Ty Lee scolded, "did you do that?"

Making sure not to look at her mommy, because no matter how well she could lie to Toph (or anyone else for that matter) she could not seem to lie to her parents, the little goddess replied. "Do what?"

Ty Lee's hands found a home on her hips as her stance became firm. Detia tensed. "I'll be able to learn that, right?"

Detia turned to her mother, who had Ty Lee deflating like a balloon. "Azula!" Ty Lee yelled at her wife. "We're supposed to be a unit and stick together when disciplining her."

"We are," Azula replied, taking Detia's hand from the harp and smacking it lightly – just enough to make the sound but not even sting a little. "Don't do it again."

Detia resumed her playing, biting her lip to force herself not to laugh. "Azula!" Ty Lee whined, causing the ex-princess to roll her eyes.

"Oh, come on Ty Lee. It wasn't that bad." Azula responded.

"Excuse me…" the archeologist tried to interrupt but his words fell on deaf ears.

"How often does she do things like that?" Azula countered logically, crossing her arms and answering before Ty Lee had the chance. "Never." She continued. "You agree she's an intelligent child, yes?"

Ty Lee nodded, the question confusing her. "I do, the smartest, but what does that…"

"Then as an intelligent child don't you think she may have had a reason for doing what she did. She rarely ever uses her abilities, only when the situation warrants it," Azula stated, and Ty Lee almost wanted to hit her for being so logical, almost.

Of course, Azula, being the tactical genius she was, could see her wife's inner thoughts; not that it was hard. Ty Lee's thoughts were an open book to her, even though Ty Lee had learned to control and/or hide her expressions as she got older. But before she could say anything to calm Ty Lee down, the acrobat spoke first.

"Fine," Ty Lee stated, putting a hand to her brow to try to stop the head ache that was threatening her.

Her other hand balled into a fist. She was just so angry, mostly at Azula for condescending her in front of their daughter. If she could have her way, she would have stormed off back in the direction of the inn, but a smaller hand gripped her wrist, suddenly. 'Don't go,' her daughter pleaded, her golden eyes looking so pitiful when Ty Lee looked down at her. 'I'm sorry I did that. I won't do it again. I just didn't want to deal with it. He was going to ask me all kinds of questions and take up a lot of my time. I just want to relax.'

Ty Lee sighed, deflating for a second time within ten minutes. She placed her hand on her daughter's head of white hair and smiled, "If you weren't so cute and I didn't love you so much..." she threatened half-heartedly.

'You should apologize to her,' Detia told only Azula.

'I know,' The ex-princess answered. 'You let me deal with that.'

Only slightly did Detia nod, just enough for Azula to see. 'The basis for what I did will be in your next lesson.' Azula had to forcefully control her joy at that news. The lightning bender stood as she took her mommy's hand and looked at the archeologist. "If you get the bow made in time, I'll buy the violin from you." He only nodded, scratching his head as he tried to remember what he was talking about. "Let's go look at other stuff. Maybe we'll find more things that I know about."

At that precise moment, Ty Lee's stomach growled. "Or we could get something to eat," Azula suggested, making sure to stop herself from chuckling. She was already in enough hot water.

"Food sounds good," Detia agreed and took the lead again.

"I'm still mad at you," Ty Lee replied in a whisper as Azula walked beside her.

Azula nodded once. "I know," she said in the same whisper. "I didn't mean to insult your parenting skills. You raised her for a year before I stepped up. I'm sorry."

Silently, the acrobat cursed herself and her inability to stay mad at her wife. She really, really wanted to remain mad. But Azula said she was sorry, and damn it, she hated those words and what they did to her. Sometimes, she wished Azula said them more often so she could become immune or something. However, because the ex-princess made it her personal mission to never say the words 'I'm sorry' unless in a sarcastic manner when she did say that phrase and meant it Ty Lee's anger always melted like ice in a Fire Nation summer. Every single time. Without fail. She sighed in exasperation. "I forgive you."

Then she smiled when Azula took her hand and brought it to her lips to kiss gently, promising with the look in her eyes that she would further apologize later that night. "I found a restaurant that looks like it serves decent food," Detia informed as she ran up to her parents then stopped and amused her parents by the look of disgust on her face. "Would you two get a room or something?"

"You'll understand when you're older," Azula assured.

Detia rolled her eyes, taking the scroll from her belt. "I understand now. But still, come on, you're acting teenagers."

Ty Lee giggled, "We never did this when we were teenagers."

"And we're making up for all the lost time," Azula finished.

Both parents laughed at the look of utter disgust on their child's face that rapidly changed to a look as if she had just heard way more than she wanted to know, ever. "I guess I should be happy my parents love each other so much," Detia replied, rolling her golden eyes and tossing the scroll into the air.

Ty Lee and Azula ducked instinctively, their good mood becoming serious, as a huge grey and yellow bird swooped down on them, catching the scroll and ascending once again. "Was that Thunder?" Ty Lee inquired, shielding her eyes against the sun as she watched the bird rise.

"Yes," Detia answered. "Let's get food now."

On purpose, the lightning bender moved between her parents, breaking their held hands. Neither minded since that's what she usually did. "That bird is never around anymore," Ty Lee noted.

Detia only shrugged, 'He's curious about the new land.'

Azula stopped in her tracks when they reached the restaurant and glared – gently – down at her daughter. "Detia," she warned.

The little goddess looked up at her mother. 'What?' She turned her attention to the restaurant's outdoor tables and the younger, nicer, version of her mother sitting at one of them. 'She just wants to talk to you,' Detia explained. 'Give her a chance. She just found out she has an older sister.'

"She's right you know," Ty Lee put in.

Azula didn't even bother arguing, knowing it was a losing battle. Besides, she sort of, in a very small way, wanted to get to know her other sibling. The ex-firebender made her way to the table and sat in the seat in front of her little more than likely half-sister. Aza's entire face lit up when Azula sat in front of her, Ty Lee and Detia taking the seats beside her. "I thought maybe you wouldn't sit with me," the girl admitted. "We didn't get properly introduced. I'm Aziza, people around here call me Aza," she informed in a slight bow.

"Azula," Azula answered, bowing her head slightly. "How long have you lived in this village?"

"All my life." Aziza answered readily, overjoyed that her older sister was talking to her. Especially given the way she had stormed out of the Inn, Aziza feared she wouldn't.

"And your father?" the oldest royal inquired.

"I don't know him," she answered after hesitating, swirling her finger in the water from her drink. "Mom doesn't like to talk about it."

"I see," Azula remarked, seeing the warning look her wife was giving her. "I suppose it doesn't matter," Aziza perked up. "How much did mother tell you?"

Without an ounce of hesitation, Aziza answered, "Nothing."

"Nothing?" her older sister parroted.

"She caught something not too long ago and became very ill. She was feverous and delusional. While I was taking care of her, she mumbled the name Zuko then something about turtle-ducks." She threw her hands up in a shrug. "When she got better, I asked her about the name. She said, 'he's your brother' and nothing else, no matter how much I badgered her about it. She doesn't like to talk about her past."

Azula nodded, suppressing her smile. "Well, that's kind of a relief," Ty Lee put in as she turned to her wife. "If that's all she told her."

The ex-princess nodded in understanding. She could understand why her mother didn't want anyone to know she was a Fire Nation princess living in the Earth Kingdom during a war. So, she kept quiet and old habits die hard. Aziza, being completely oblivious of these implications, saw it as her turn to ask questions and started. "What is it like out there?"

"Be more specific," Azula remarked, her mind snapping back to reality like a whip. Aziza only stared at her and Azula rolled her eyes. "What part of the world would you like to know about?"

"You've been around the world?" the young girl stated, clearly amazed. "What do you do for a living that allows you to do that?"

An elegant black eyebrow lifted and Azula remained silent as a waitress came to take their orders. When the waitress left Azula stated rhetorically, "She didn't tell you anything at all, did she?" Aziza shook her head in the negative. "Zuko is the Fire Lord."

"I know." She pointed a finger to Ty Lee. "She said so. What's a Fire Lord?"

Azula's golden eyes widened with disbelief. Had it been anyone else, anyone at all, besides a young girl from a backwater Earth Kingdom village, she would have yelled at them. "The Fire Lord is the ruler of the Fire Nation," Detia answered as she sipped the drink in front of her.

Aziza jumped out of her seat at this news, her wooden chair clattering loudly to the floor. "You're a princess!" she whispered loudly.

Surprisingly, this amused Azula. "So are you," she stated. "Well, not technically, but Zuko will more than likely overlook the fact that you are our half-sister from an exiled princess."

Ty Lee pulled the chair up just in time for Aziza to fall into it. "I'm a princess," she said lightly, her golden eyes distant, not even hearing the last part of Azula's statement. "Do you live in a palace?"

Azula chose to lie and say, "Of course."

"What's it like there?" Aziza asked excitedly, her dazed state disappearing like a wisp of smoke.

"Huge," Detia answered deadpan as she sipped her drink. "You wouldn't be able to explore the entire palace in a week."

"It's hotter and dryer in the Fire Nation as well," Ty Lee put in.

Azula nodded in agreement. "Wow," the girl stated, imagining the palace. "Can you take me there?" she asked, grabbing her sister's hands.

The ex-princess took her hands from the girl. "No. We're heading to Ba Sing Se."

Aziza's expression fell comically. Her expression lit up as an idea hit her, but before she could give voice to it, Ty Lee interrupted, "But Zuko should be coming here soon. We've sent a message to him."

"Really!"

"Yes," Azula answered, getting slightly annoyed at her sister's…expressiveness.

To her credit, the younger sibling seemed to notice Azula's change in tone and straightened her act immediately. "Will you stay till then?" she asked calmly.

This impressed Azula. At least, there was some hope for her, and she answered, "More than likely."

"Excellent," she stated as she stood, smiling at her big sister. "I have to get back to the Inn. Enjoy the city; there are actually a lot of things to do."

"We will," Ty Lee assured as Aziza began to walk away. "Wait!" The girl stopped. "How old are you?"

"15," the girl answered, before checking the sun. "I have to go. See you around."

She waved as she ran off. Azula looked at her wife as Ty Lee gained a look of thinking. Finally, she shook her head, her braid flowing with the movement of her head. "I was wondering if it was possible for her to be your full sister. But I don't know how unless Ozai actually knew where Ursa was this whole time."

Azula shrugged, it didn't really concern her. "It doesn't matter, really."

If Azula didn't care who her sister's father was, then Ty Lee didn't either. Besides, the waitress had just set their food on the table. "Okay, Zula. If you say so." The ex-princess didn't respond but smiled at the look on her wife's face. "This smells spicier than most Earth Kingdom dishes," The acrobat noted as she took her chopsticks and tasted the dish. "This taste like something from the Fire Nation." Detia nodded in agreement.

"Good," Azula replied and began eating.

~x~

It was night. The full moon hung high in the sky, dimming the stars and casting more light onto the village than the lit lanterns. The day had been busy for Azula and her family. Though, all they did was explore the marketplace and go to the arena, which was surprisingly large, and train. After that, they returned to the inn, sitting on a porch bench and talking. A lapse in the conversation had Detia falling asleep. They placed her in the bed of the one room they had a key to. Angi had run by and lifted the other from Detia's person earlier that day. Uncharacteristically, the little lightning bender stretched out and took up most of the bed once she was placed on it.

Azula and Ty Lee had looked at her then each other before Ty Lee shrugged and suggested that they go to the secluded back porch instead of the front. The conversation for those few hours was minimal, seeing as the couple simply basked in the presence of the other and felt no need to talk. Eventually, Ty Lee had drifted to sleep, her head resting in Azula's lap. The ex-princess continued to look at the moon, her long hands running through Ty Lee's bound hair, unintentionally causing it to become unbound. Not that she was paying any attention to that as light footsteps caught her attention. Her golden eyes narrowed as the door opened and her mother stepped out.

The older woman seemed just as surprised to see her oldest daughter out on the porch as Azula was to see her mother so soon. For a minute that felt like an eternity, the two stared at each other. Azula looked away first, allowing her mother to decide what she wanted to do next. To her slight surprise, the older woman moved to sit next to her, on the side that didn't have Ty Lee separating them. Silence fell between them, Ursa not knowing how to start a conversation and Azula unwilling to begin. Ursa's golden eyes turned to the sleeping woman resting comfortably in Azula's lap. "She seems to love you very much," Ursa began, hoping it was a safe topic to begin with.

"She married me," was Azula's curt response.

Ursa sighed. "Azula, this has to stop." She wanted to touch her daughter, to place a hand on her arm in a way to try to convince her through bodily contact that she did want things between them to change. But she didn't. She remembered all too well how powerful a bender Azula had been as a child. That, coupled with who raised her, her age now, and her open hostility towards her, gave her reason to fear Azula would attack her. "You are my daughter, and despite everything, I do love you."

The sound Azula made sounded just like disbelief. "I'm sure. You thought I was a monster."

"But I still loved you." Ursa remarked and turned away from Azula's piercing gaze. "I know that the way I treated you as child was wrong. I've had a lot of time to think about it, and I can give you justifications for why I did what I did. Spirits know I gave myself enough…"

"Give me one," Azula demanded. "The best one you have, let me hear it."

Ursa sighed deeply before looking into her daughter's eyes. "I lost you. You died, and it hurt so much. Then that spirit brought you back to life, she gave you back to me. You probably don't remember, but I never let you leave my side more than a few minutes for weeks after it happened. But Ozai wanted more time with you. He increased your training, and you'd come out hurt but wouldn't say anything about it. And I thought he was going to kill you again. I'd lose you all over again and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I tried to talk to him, but he didn't listen. So I distanced myself from you. I couldn't deal with losing you again. You don't know what it's like to lose a child."

"Yes, I do," Azula interrupted, looking down at her wife. "Last year Detia was struck by lightning." Ursa's shocked expression relieved some of Azula's tension. "The doctor said that she would live, but the chances of her waking from her coma were slim." Fighting the tears, because it still hurt her to think about it, Azula continued. "He said that if she did wake up she wouldn't be able to see or walk or use her left arm at all. And there was no telling what kind of mental disabilities she'd have. She was in a coma for about a month."

"Oh, Azula," Ursa whispered. She didn't want to wish that kind of pain on anyone, better less her daughter. "I'm sorry."

Azula smiled at her mother – and meant it – making the older woman almost gasp at how good it made her feel inside. "It's okay," Azula assured. "The little monster survived it and came out completely unscathed."

"How on earth did she manage that?" Ursa inquired before answering her own question. "Oh right, she's a spirit of some kind."

"Not a spirit," Azula corrected, earning a slightly lifted eyebrow from her mother.

"She said the same thing," Ursa responded. "What is she then?"

Azula smirked. "My daughter."

For a moment, Ursa only looked at her oldest daughter before smiling and shaking her head. "Of course."

"Anyways," Azula replied, changing the subject back to the topic it was on. "I know what it feels like to come close to losing a child. I can understand why you thought that growing cold to me would be the right thing to do, even if it wasn't. Not even close. I even understand why you began to think I was a monster. Again, it was wrong but I still understand. You hurt me more than you can even know."

"I know I…"

"I'm not finished," Azula interrupted, ignoring her mother's scowl. "For my daughter's sake and for my own, I'm willing to put the past behind us. So we can start a new relationship."

Unsuccessfully, Ursa tried to stop the tears from falling from her eyes, dabbing her eyes lightly with the apron she still wore. "You would do that?"

Azula nodded. "I'm willing to try."

TBC

A/N: I just found out that according to the Ultimate Avatar Pocket Guide Zuko was 17 at the end of the show. All this time I thought he was 16. It doesn't really change anything, except now he's a year older. Go figure.

Anyways, sorry it's longer than normal…or not…whatever. Things just had to happen in this chapter. There was a lot of talking though, I am sorry about that. But conversations are good, right? :]

Also, I noticed that I unintentionally stole the name 'Aza' from the story Firelight (which is fantastical and if you haven't read it yet you totally should – puts my story to shame, seriously). My awesome Beta, Chaos Sparda, pointed it out to me, along with some other things but we won't get into that. I asked if it was okay but I haven't gotten a response back. So I'm hoping it is. ;}


	22. Chapter 22

Of Fire

Chapter 22

She was bored. In fact, there were only a couple of times in her life that she had felt this bored. That is if she counted the first twelve years of her life while she was living with her parents as one. She had thought that becoming the ruler of the largest nation in the world would be fun or at least less boring. Spirits know Bumi made the title entertaining. But then again, she also knew that Bumi was a few Pai Sho pieces short of a set. Toph sighed, leaned her head in her hand, and crossed one leg over the other as she listened to two lords argue over where their property line was and whether some livestock or another belonged to them.

This kind of argument was beneath her, in her opinion. Fleetingly, she wondered if she had someone else who would listen to the Lord's meaningless chatter. For people who were 'noble,' they sure had petty problems. Toph much preferred venturing down to the lower rings and mingling with the common folk. She learned a lot more eavesdropping on them than she did from her inept advisors. The ex-princess may be a crazy bitch, but she was a great advisor, which is half the reason she couldn't wait for Azula to stand beside her as her head advisor. The Fire Nation thrived when Zuko made her his head advisor. It was also an added bonus that most of the nobles in Ba Sing Se feared her. Then the Lords wouldn't come to her with their trivial problems. They'd go to Azula who, more than likely, would not stand for such incompetence.

Toph rubbed her calloused hands over her brow, nursing her headache, as the Lords started verbally slinging mud at each other. She was about to throw rocks at both of them just to shut them up when a loud caw broke through the air, effectively shutting them up. Being blind as she was, she couldn't see the bird that flew into her throne room from an open window, but she had a good idea of who it belonged to. The thunder bird landed between the two Lords, giving Toph a clear view of him, as he closed his massive wingspan and smacked the two Lords in the head. They fell forward onto the stone with indignant grunts, and Toph barely suppressed her laughter.

"Thunder!" she called to Detia's thunderbird with a huge smile as she walked towards the bird. "What brings you here? I didn't expect you for another week at least."

The thunder bird cawed, taking the message in his beak, and presenting it to the Earth Queen. Toph took the scroll from the Thunderbird, running a rough hand over his smooth, feathered head in thanks and smiled when he purred at the attention. She flipped the scroll open and began running her fingers over the text. Immediately, she recognized Detia's flawless flowing script – mainly because the text was so small. "Huh," she said lightly as she closed the scroll. "They got lost. Imagine that." The queen turned back to the Lords and pointed to one. "He's right. It was his livestock that escaped. It doesn't automatically become yours because it's on your property." She rolled her eyes. "That is all."

"But, your highness…"

"I said that is all," Toph repeated, the menace in her tone clear as crystal.

"Of course," the Lords chorused as they bowed and left the room.

"Lee!" Toph yelled and a guard appeared beside her quickly, ignoring the large bird following his queen. "It seems my new advisor and her family has gotten lost in the Earth Kingdom. They are currently at a secluded village in the southwestern mountains. I will be journeying there to retrieve them."

The guard, responsible for her majesty's personal welfare, protested immediately. "Ma'am, I can't permit this. It could be dangerous for you to go out by yourself." She only looked at him. She knew he meant well but was highly insulted that he thought she could not defend herself. "I mean no disrespect, Ma'am," he added quickly.

She waved him off, her bare feet making firm thuds on the stone floor as they continued to walk to the exit of the palace. "I will not be alone. You will gather a few carriages: enough to carry me and three others, whatever men you think are necessary, and follow the trail I make. Come, I will show you where I will be." She waved, changing course to the war room because it was closest and had a map of the entire Earth Kingdom.

"Yes Ma'am," he repeated with a sigh and followed his queen to the war room. "What of your guests? They will be arriving soon?"

Toph stopped and thought. "Oh, yes. Tell them to start without me. It shouldn't take long." Then under her breathe, "Probably."

Lee sighed.

~x~

Ezra set quietly in what used to be her and her cousin's favorite spot in the garden. It was quiet and peaceful. The birds sang their songs, and the leaves rushed in with a harmony. The princess looked down at the book in her hands. She had been sitting in the same spot since after breakfast with the intention of reading her new book. However, she hadn't opened to the first page yet, and it was a little past noon. From her place, she could hear Ursa and Lu Ten practice their Firebending in the garden. On any other day, she would go out and watch them practice. But her father would be there, and she was still angry with him. He took away her best friend after all.

It had only been about a week since Detia left with her parents, and she knew she wasn't the only one to feel the loss. But she often felt like she was. Ursa and Lu Ten had forgiven their father quickly, but Detia wasn't their best friend. They didn't miss her like she did. She sighed and placed her book on the ground when the smell of burning leather registered in her mind. Her best kept secret. She much preferred her knives and projectiles over fire. Thankfully, she was always calm and tranquil, so she could keep her secret a secret. And there were no unexpected accidents like with Lu Ten and Ursa.

She looked up at the sky and almost screamed at the two red eyes staring back at her. But caught herself as she recognized her Aunt Azula's dragon. "Sunstone," she addressed the dragon calmly as she stood. It tilted its golden head and squawked lightly as if addressing her back. "What are doing here? Aunt Azula is probably deep into the Earth Kingdom right now." The dragon nodded and crawled down the tree, hopping on the ground. "Are you tired from flying?"

Again the dragon nodded and smiled when Ezra extended her hand. She wanted the dragon to crawl up her arm like she had seen the dragon do with her aunt. But instead, it handed her a scroll. With a pitch black eyebrow lifted, she unrolled the scroll and immediately noticed Detia's hand writing. As she was reading the scroll, Sunstone nudged her hand. Her golden eyes cast down into red ones, and she extended her hand again. A little smile crossed her face as the dragon crawled up her arm onto her shoulder. Sunstone sighed in contentment as she rested her head on the princess' silk covered shoulders, folding her wings against her golden body to rest them.

The young princess rolled the scroll up and tucked it into her belt as she made her way to her brother and sister and father. As she expected, she found them easily. They were not training at the time, sitting in a small circle laughing and smiling with each other. All three were wearing light training clothes, short sleeves, and loose pants. Even if it was the winter solstice, the Fire Nation was not cold, it was cooler than say during the summer (obviously), but it would never snow like Ezra had heard sometimes happened in the Earth Kingdom. And happened all the time in the poles. She'd like to see snow one day.

Her mind was drawn back on her task at hand when her twin noticed her and motioned her over. She sighed mentally, her expression never changing as she walked at an even pace to her siblings and father. "Ezra," Zuko smiled and raised his hand to touch her shoulder.

He frowned when she back away, her neutral expression giving him no clue to her inner thoughts. "Why is Sunstone here?" Lu Ten inquired, causing his father to look at Ezra's clothing and vaguely wonder why he didn't notice the golden scales of his sister's dragon.

"She came with a note," Ezra answered monotone, pulling the scroll from her belt. Against her better judgment, she handed it to her father. "Detia wrote that she, Aunt Azula, and Aunt Ty Lee stumbled into an Earth Kingdom village and found our Grandmother."

"What!" Ursa exclaimed as she and Lu Ten rushed over to Zuko to read the scroll for themselves.

"Really!" Lu Ten yelled in unison with his sister.

Ezra nodded, not that anyone was paying attention to her as her family read the scroll. Sunstone nuzzled under Ezra's chin, a low rumble vibrating from deep in the dragon's throat as she slept. "Well," Zuko replied after reading the scroll, barely able to contain his elation, as he stood. He handed the scroll to Lu Ten and Ursa to let them continue reading it as he looked at his estranged daughter. "It looks like we'll be going to the Earth Kingdom." He smiled, but it was not returned. It rarely ever was, but at least before, there wasn't any open hostility in her eyes.

He scowled. There was only one way he could think of to maybe get back on his daughter's good side. He'd have to find a way to get her alone and talk to her, which shouldn't be too hard since she was almost always alone. Getting her to stay would be the hard part. The sound of silk swishing in the wind caught his attention and drew it to the slim Fire Lady as she walked up to her family. "Mom!" Lu Ten yelled as he stood, letting the scroll flap in the wind as he ran to her. "Detia sent us a letter! She found our Grandmother!"

"Princess Ursa?" Mai questioned, slight surprise showing in her tone as she took the scroll.

Zuko watched his wife read the scroll and an idea struck him. Ezra was a momma's girl. She would listen to Mai. He turned to Ezra and watched her walking away towards the palace. With a sigh, he turned back to his wife, his golden eyes reading the worry in hers. Mai calmly rolled the scroll up and looked down at two of her children. "All right you two," the Fire Lady started, "Get packed. We'll be leaving for the Earth Kingdom soon."

Lu Ten and Ursa yelled 'Yeah' in unison and ran back to the palace. Mai walked to her husband. "What are you going to do about Ezra?" she inquired as if it really didn't concern her, though the look in her eyes said otherwise.

"Actually," he started, rubbing the back of his neck, "I was hoping that you would…"

"No," she interrupted with a tone of finality. "It's your problem. You'll solve it."

"What am I suppose to tell her?" He asked, "By the way, Ezra, your Aunt Azula wasn't as nice as she is now. In fact when we were kids she was a total psycho." Mai cracked a smile. "And after years and years of her tormenting I was fairly traumatized. So, even though I know she's a changed person I still can't find it in myself to trust her. Sorry about your best friend leaving, but Azula had to go." He rolled his golden eyes. "I'm sure that would go over well."

"It might." Mai offered in monotone.

Zuko sighed heavily as his wife began following her children back to the palace. Before following after his family, he let his mind linger on his estranged daughter then turned to happier thoughts of seeing his mother again. After so many years of searching, he was finally going to see her again. He had almost given up, resigning himself to believing she was dead. But now, he couldn't wait. Elation filled him, making him feel like child on their birthday.

~x~

Zuko walked the halls of the Fire Nation's fastest airship. They left the Fire Nation only hours after the letter was received. The captain was given the directions and coordinates and they were on their way. That was the least of his worries, at the moment. His ship was in good hands, he knew. His first concern for a second was what he should bring his mother. Should he bring her old clothes? Would they even fit? Mai, who had been sitting in the room with him as he worried about what he should bring, brought up in her deadpan way that they would simply get Ursa a new wardrobe once she returned. If she even wanted to return. At that point, Mai had to explain to her husband that maybe, just maybe, Princess Ursa had a stable life in the Earth Kingdom and wouldn't want to leave. Detia's letter hinted there might be a few ties that might keep her in the Earth Kingdom, after all.

Zuko had accepted that as a possibility. Even though he just couldn't see what would keep his mother from returning to the Fire Nation and all the riches the royal family had. It was a better life all around. Now, his main concern was his daughter. He had seen Lu Ten and Ursa running around…somewhere on the ship. Since then, he had been looking for Ezra all over the place. Obviously, the last place he thought to look was the most obvious place she'd be. Tentatively, he rapped on the door to Ezra's assigned room. She couldn't escape him in an enclosed room. "Come in," her dull voice called.

The Fire Lord opened the door and saw his daughter sitting on the floor twirling a throwing knife around her fingers, Sunstone wrapped loosely around her waist. The dragon's golden head lay on the floor, smoke flowing from its nostrils as its red eyes watched the knife intently. He had never been more surprised than the day his little sister came home with a baby dragon curled around her torso. At first, he thought it was armor or something, but then it moved. The smirk on Azula's face when he almost screamed had infuriated him, but she walked away, well limped. What happened at the City of Sun Warriors he had never been told. Well, Lu Ten informed him as much as he knew. But neither Azula nor Toph cared to elaborate how they managed to get all beat up or how Azula received burn scars on her back from her armor.

Ezra's golden eyes looked up at him, the small smile on his lips falling instantly. Zuko forced a smile as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. "Hey," he replied, forcing a normal tone. She did not reply, only stuffed her knife back into her sleeve. "Okay, Ezra. We need to talk."

"What's there to talk about?"

He exhaled deeply. "It concerns me," he started, moving to sit in front of his child. "I know Detia was your best friend, and she left with her parents."

Ezra scowled and interrupted. "You made them leave."

Silence lingered for a moment. How was he supposed to respond to that? "Well, they left on their own accord. I didn't stop them."

The young knife-thrower's golden eyes bore into her father's. "You hurt Aunt Azula. I saw. And they left because of that."

"How…"

"Detia is my best friend. She knew the palace better than anyone, even the architect. As much as I followed her around, do you think I learned nothing?"

Again he sighed, forcing himself to stop from rubbing a hand over his face. But two of his fingers lingered over the recent scar on his face. "I know," he stated. "How much did you see?"

"All of it," Ezra answered. "I saw Detia walking down the hall, following the guards and Aunt Azula. Then I went to the secret passage to the throne room. I saw everything. You hurt her. I heard it," she elaborated at the confused look on her father's face. "She was screaming. No one even moved. It was like they didn't hear. Until Detia attacked the Avatar. Before she left, I asked her why no one did anything. She said that Aunt Azula's soul was screaming it hurt so much. And it's not something normal people can hear."

"Really?" the Fire Lord inquired, truly intrigued. Ezra nodded. "Do you know why you can hear it?"

The princess shook her head in the negative. "She didn't elaborate. But this can't be why you wanted to talk to me."

"No, no, you are correct." He felt a headache coming on. His golden eyes examined his daughter before he started. "The real reason I wanted to talk to you is to give you my side of what happened. I know that you are an intelligent child, more so than your siblings." She forced her smile to go away. "I thought that if you knew why I did what I did you'd forgive me. I made your best friend leave, after all, so I know it will take time. But I hope you'll at least understand." She nodded, she would like some answers anyways. He smiled, this was his chance and he had to make it good. Had to make it count. "How much do you know about what happened prior to Detia and her parents leaving?"

"Nothing." Ezra answered as Sunstone curled her head into Ezra's lap.

"There was an assassin," he started, nodding at the concerned widening of her eyes. "He tried to kill me. But I defeated him before he could finish his job, and when we were interrogating him, he said that your Aunt Azula hired him. I feared for the safety of my family, of you, when I learned this. Somewhere deep down, I've always been aware that she would turn on me. I hate to admit it, but I wouldn't stand a chance against Azula. Not if she really tried, which is part of the reason why I didn't stop them when they left."

"And you believed him? The assassin I mean." Ezra challenged. "That doesn't sound like something Aunt Azula would do."

He countered with, "When we were children she was exceptionally cruel, and not only to me, though I did seem to get the brunt of it. When I received this scar she was smiling." He touched the scar over his left eye. "And she lied all the time." he sighed at his childhood memories. "She's also attempted to take my life more than a few times."

"Children are cruel." Ezra interrupted. "I often wish Lu Ten and Ursa would just disappear and I usually think it's hilarious when they get hurt. But I'm not nearly as expressive as Aunt Azula. And are you sure she lied to you? Or was she telling you things that were true but in such a way that you didn't want to believe her." Her head tilted slightly to the side. "Well, father?" Zuko remained silent. "I often see other kids react that way to the truth. Like when someone tells you someone you love died you don't want to believe it and call them a liar." Again Zuko didn't answer, still digesting what she was saying so Ezra changed the question. "When she tried to kill you it was during the war, right?"

Zuko would have been frowning if the first comment hadn't thrown him and he latched onto that which was oddest to his ears. "You wish that your siblings would disappear." Ezra's expression remained neutral as she nodded. "Why?" he asked.

"The reasons are my own," The princess answered simply.

He nodded, knowing that he was not on his daughter's good side and didn't ask any questions on that subject. "That's right, it was during the war."

"When you were named an enemy of the Fire Nation?" Ezra asked again. Not quite sure what she was getting at he nodded. "Didn't she have orders from Fire Lord Ozai to hunt you down?"

The current Fire Lord sighed. This was not going as he had envisioned it would. "Well yes but…"

"So this distrust you have with her runs deep." It was a statement.

He sighed, cursing his daughter's intelligence for a brief moment. "Yes," Zuko finally answered. "It's been there even before either of us entered the war. Father did always like her best." He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but some of it seeped through.

A perfect black eyebrow quirked. "From what I hear, that's not a good thing." Her father didn't respond, but she could see the doubt in his eyes. "I hear stories, mostly from Detia. So, I know they are more than likely true. In Detia's eyes, Aunt Azula didn't have someone, a parent, to love her. Ozai didn't love anyone but himself and set his standards so high no one could reach them. No matter how hard Aunt Azula tried, it was never good enough, and from what Detia could gather, the illusion of honor was always hanging in front of her, just out of reach. That's not love. And then Grandmother Ursa openly favored you. There was no love for her."

Never had he thought of it in that context before, but he only nodded. Well, that wasn't true. Une had brought that subject up during Azula's trial. "I guess you're right."

"I know I am. Detia doesn't lie to me."

"Of course," he smiled.

Silence prevailed for a little more than a minute. "So," Ezra started. "Detia was right. You were eager to believe that she would betray you because of all the underlying issues you two never talked about."

The Fire Lord could not bring himself to look at his daughter. "She'd been through so much all ready." He defended lightly, remembering very clearly Azula's trial and points that lead him to bury these issues. Points his daughter was now bringing up. "I didn't want to bring it up." Ezra nodded and he chuckled. "I was supposed to reassure you," He said.

"You never were good with your words, father," The princess pointed out in her deadpan tone. Though, it felt like a knife in the chest. "You're more of an 'actions speak louder' type person."

The Fire Lord chuckled. "That's true."

"I don't mean to defend her over you, father," Ezra assured. "I'm just being objective."

"I know. I don't hold it against you."

The princess sighed, stood, and walked to the door, Sunstone uncurling when Ezra stood. "Of course, this does not mean that I forgive you." She opened the door and stood beside it. "I understand your reasoning, but your insecurities resulted in me losing my best friend. Let your actions speak louder than your words and over time I may forgive you. But not today, and probably not anytime soon."

Zuko sighed as he stood as well. He stopped beside her, looking down into her dull golden eyes that held more wisdom than a child her age should. She was so much like her mother. "You know I still love you," he replied.

A hint of a smile twitched at her lips. "I know, and I still love you too."

That's all he really needed to hear as he exited the room, hearing the soft click of the door as he did. "It did not go well, did it?" Mai inquired, leaning against the wall beside the door.

The Fire Lord looked at his Fire Lady, the woman who had given him three wonderful children – even if one of them was mad at him at the moment. "It didn't go as I expected, no," he admitted. Mai nodded, as she expected. "Over time though, I feel she'll forgive me."

"Probably," Mai stated, her tone the exact deadpan as Ezra's.

He couldn't help but smile at how much they were alike. Without any prompting he pulled the Fire Lady into his arms and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered.

~x~

"Is Azula still asleep?" Ursa inquired, looking out the window of the small kitchen to the sun high in the sky. "It's almost noon."

That wasn't like her. As a Fire Bender, Azula would usually rise with the sun. Ty Lee, who was sitting at the table going over some kind of list, answered as if distracted, "Azula and Detia trained really hard last night."

"Trained?" Aziza questioned, moving around the kitchen for a quick snack. "They just stared at each other for hours."

"Trust me, they were training," Ty Lee remarked, smiling at her sister-in-law and folding the paper in front of her.

Aziza shrugged as she took something from the fruit basket on the counter and headed to the door. "Mom, I'm going out."

"Have fun," Ursa replied as she sat in the seat in front of Ty Lee, whatever chore she was doing now finished. The older woman waited until her youngest child walked out the door before asking, "So it's true, your daughter can read minds."

Without any form of hesitation, Ty Lee answered, "Yes, ever since…well, since she was born."

"Really." The statement was rhetorical as Ursa thought of a delicate way to ask her next question. "Did Azula give birth?"

"Nope, that was me." She smiled, obviously proud of herself. "It was a miraculous birth all round, really."

"How so?" Ursa inquired.

Ty Lee hesitated. "Aside from the fact that Azula and I are both female, the pregnancy was ridiculously easy. I didn't feel any pain at all, ever. Well, except for the very beginning. But there wasn't even any pain while I was giving birth. Everyone was baffled."

Ursa was impressed. The story was hard to believe, but she was impressed. "If Detia didn't look so much like Azula, I would have to doubt…."

She stopped when she realized what she was about to insinuate. "It's okay," Ty Lee assured, even though it stung every time she heard it. "Everyone thought it. But I've always been faithful to Azula."

The older woman smiled, laying a hand over Ty Lee's to stop them from twitching. "I didn't mean to imply that you were anything but faithful."

Ty Lee nodded, a smile replacing the serious frown. "I know, but it was hard. Azula was the worst. After Detia was born, everyone just knew she was Azula's, except for Azula. I mean they were so much alike."

Ursa nodded. "Two days ago, Detia said that when she was born your biggest fear was that Azula would be like me." Ty Lee tensed. "Was she?"

"She was worse than you," Ty Lee answered hesitantly, the astonished look from her mother-in-law easing some of her tension. "I've been able to see auras since before I met Azula at the academy. You loved Azula, but there was always this fear that I didn't understand when I was little." Ursa nodded because it was true. "Azula hated Detia the instant she learn of her conception. It took her a year after her birth to come around, and even then, it took her a while before she actually loved Detia."

"I see," was all Ursa said for a second, ashamed at herself for not being a better mother to her daughter and because it forced her granddaughter to suffer. She decided to change the subject. "You said Detia's been able to read minds since she was born. How do you know?"

Eager for the change of subject, Ty Lee jumped at the answer, "Oh! Detia was mute up until last year."

"Mute?" Ursa exclaimed lightly.

Ty Lee nodded, "Yep. For the longest time, Azula and I were the only ones able to hear her. She could hear everyone else as long as she was in close proximity, but she could always hear us. No matter where we were, be in our room or in the garden, we were the only ones who could hear her. Except for maybe Ezra and Ursa." Ty Lee paused at the confused expression on Ursa's face. "I guess no one told you about them." The older woman shook her head in the negative. "Zuko married Mai, and they had three children: Lu Ten, Ezra, and Ursa. Ezra and Ursa are twins."

"Oh," was the only thing the older woman said for a moment, as she wrapped her mind around the fact that she had four grandchildren.

Four. Wow, she couldn't imagine that. "Are they happy?"

Ty Lee shrugged before replying. "I suppose so. Zuko and Mai are really good parents."

"And Detia?" Ursa inquired, "Is she happy?"

The acrobat paused. "I would hope so. She says she is."

"It's kind of hard to tell with her," Ursa finished.

Nodding, Ty Lee remarked, "She's very unique in that manner."

"She's very unique period," Ursa chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "She had a long talk with the archeologist yesterday when she and Azula went shopping with me."

Ty Lee chuckled with a shake of her head. "That poor guy."

"Indeed," Ursa agreed. "She only went there to ask about that instrument…."

"The violin," Ty Lee supplied.

"Right, that one. She and Azula stood there for a good twenty minutes. Detia looked agitated, and Azula didn't look any better. I approached when he was asking a question, completely oblivious to their attitudes." She chuckled. "He gets that way sometimes." Ty Lee smiled. "Then suddenly his face went blank and it was like he forgot the last twenty minutes. I couldn't understand it."

The acrobat scowled deeply, fuming for a minute. "I can't believe she did it again," she mumbled angrily before assuming a pleasant expression. "He was supposed to be making her a bow so she could play the violin," she stated.

"But how does she even know how? He said that she played the bigger instrument like a professional, but the instruments are thousands of years old."

A soft smile crossed Ty Lee's face before she answered, "She's not necessarily human, you know." Ursa nodded but still had a slightly shocked expression. Having the idea and having it confirmed were two different things. "It's true."

"I assumed she was a spirit reincarnated."

Ty Lee chuckled. "Close. But a spirit reincarnated is merely a normal human. She's a bit more than a spirit."

"What could be more than a spirit?" Ursa inquired, but Ty Lee didn't answer, seeing as an expression that the acrobat identified as dawning crossed the older woman's features. Ursa leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner and whispered "You mean she's a god?"

"Goddess," Ty Lee corrected. "The same as her two friends." Ursa was speechless. Really, what could she say to that kind of information? "I would ask that you keep it a secret."

"Of course," Ursa answered automatically, "who would believe me?"

The older woman sat back in her seat. She thought having four grandchildren was something she couldn't imagine but having one of them be the reincarnation of a god? That was…mind blowing. Her brain just couldn't accept it for some reason. Or at least, it was having a hard time accepting it. A distraction came in the form of her older daughter, drawing Ursa's attention away from her newly gained knowledge as Azula came into the kitchen fully dressed in a dark green long sleeved tunic and black pants that matched her boots. "Azula," Ty Lee called happily, though she didn't stand up to greet her wife. "Good afternoon. You missed breakfast."

Azula grunted as she sat in the seat next to Ty Lee, massaging her forehead and brushing her dark hair, which had yet to be put up, out of her face. "I swear that little monster's going to be the death of me." Ty Lee didn't answer, but she did pout and whimper a little. Azula's golden eyes rolled before she smiled. "Sorry," she said before leaning over and kissing her wife.

"That's better," Ty Lee remarked childishly.

Ursa smiled at their behavior, glad that her daughter had found someone to love her like Ty Lee did. Instead of the traditional top knot, Azula started braiding her hair. "What were we talking about?" she asked.

"Your little monster," Ty Lee answered with a chuckle. "Why are you braiding your hair today?"

"I don't feel like putting it up," Azula answered simply, tying a leather string around the end of her smooth even pleat. "Why, you don't like it?"

"It's not that," Ty Lee defended quickly. "I just don't think I've ever seen your hair in a braid. I do like it though."

"Good," Azula replied.

Ty Lee watched as Azula stole a random piece of fruit from the small bowl on the table before starting the conversation anew. "Do you know what your daughter did yesterday?"

"Well since she's my daughter now, I assume it's something you disapprove of," Azula answered nonchalantly.

Ty Lee propped her elbows on the table as she continued, ignoring Azula's nonchalant attitude. "You remember that stunt she pulled the other day with the archeologist?"

"The one where she made him forget?" Azula inquired as Ursa handed her a newsletter, detailing the news of the village. Azula smiled at her mother, which warmed the older woman's heart, as she took the piece of paper.

"Yes, that one. Well, she did it again yesterday."

"No she didn't," Azula remarked as she flipped the letter over, vaguely aware that her mother had stood and was entering the kitchen. "I did it that time. Apparently, the effects are not permanent. Detia described it being similar to walking into a room and forgetting what you came in for then suddenly remembering hours later." Azula informed though Ty Lee's stern expression still bore right through the thin slip of paper separating her eyes from Azula's. "He was badgering her, Ty," Azula defended as she set the paper down and started to rub her head again. "He wanted to study her, like she was some sort of animal. Detia informed me that he was going to ask the day before when she made his forget." That got the reaction Azula wanted as Ty Lee gasped. "I was standing right there and he still had the audacity to ask. Detia was becoming increasingly uncomfortable; all she wanted was that stupid instrument. But she wouldn't make him forget again because she promised you she wouldn't, even though I told her it would be okay to break this one promise. She looked at me like I had lost my mind. So I did it."

Azula picked the paper back up when Ty Lee sighed in defeat. "You didn't hurt him did you?"

"Physically? No." Azula answered. "And like I said the mental effects are not permanent."

"I didn't know you could do that," the acrobat stated, trying not to sigh again.

The ex-princess bit back a yawn as she answered, "It was laughably easy." A cup of something hot was set in front of her and she looked up into Ursa's golden eyes. "What is this?"

"It's called coffee," the older woman replied, setting a dish of sugar and milk on the table. "It's a specialty of this village. I've never seen it grown anywhere else, but it will wake you up. Aziza likes to add a lot of sugar to hers."

Azula nodded, tasting the bitter liquid though her expression remained neutral when it assaulted her taste buds. She added a little sugar and milk and experimented until it was where she liked it. "Thank you," Azula commented as she sipped the hot liquid, enjoying the way it warmed her from the inside. "I like it."

"I thought you might," Ursa informed. "You seem to be sleeping a lot. Are you getting sick?"

"Sick?" Azula almost laughed. "I don't remember the last time I was sick."

Ty Lee chuckled. "There was that one time when we were little, but you were so stubborn that you completely ignored it."

"I don't recall that," Azula denied, the twinkle in her eyes telling her wife that she did.

The acrobat chuckled again, the sound making Azula smile. Suddenly, a warm hand was placed on her forehead, and Azula almost pulled away but instead looked at the woman the hand belong to. "You're cold," Ursa stated, as if this baffled her. "I don't remember you being cold. You were always hotter than everyone else."

Azula nodded and sipped her drink again as the hand was removed. "I'm not getting sick. It's just," she thought for a second, "a change in disposition."

"Oh?" Ursa replied, clearly intrigued.

Azula loved this attention she was getting from her mother. She actually felt like the older woman really cared about her. And Azula smiled at her mother. "I'm becoming a lightning bender, like my daughter."

"Lightning?" her mother questioned in surprise. "The purest form of Firebending?"

The ex-princess shook her head. "No, a true Lightning bender. I've been informed that lightning is an element all its own. And the techniques of this element are the ones I'm learning. Detia already knows them, and I'm learning them from her."

Ursa chuckled. "So my granddaughter is the Goddess of Lightning then."

"That's correct," Azula answered on instinct. "Wait, how did you know that?"

Ty Lee was about to raise her hand and admit that she let the older woman in on the secret. But a fiery, little red-head burst into the kitchen, her hair flowing like a camp fire with all its multi-colored hues. "Come quick!" Angi said breathlessly. "Detia and Yuna are about to fight!"

"Really," Azula exclaimed as she almost jumped out of her chair.

She grabbed Ty Lee's braid as she passed by her wife, forcing her to stand. "Ow!" Ty Lee whined. "That hurts."

"Come on. This could be good," Azula announced, ignoring Ty Lee's whine.

The acrobat slapped her wife's hands. "I'm coming, let go of my hair," she grumbled as they made it to the door. "Are you coming?" Ty Lee asked her mother-in-law, who had yet to get up from the table.

"No," Ursa smiled. "I have to watch the inn."

"Are you sure?" Azula questioned.

"I'm sure. Go," she shooed lightly.

"Okay," Azula replied as if she wasn't sure, but she trusted that Ursa knew what she wanted. "Come on."

The couple followed Angi to the lowest level of the arena, which was still about fifteen feet from the floor of the arena. On one side of the arena stood Detia, stretching. About thirty feet away stood Yuna, also stretching. "I brought them!" Angi yelled.

Detia nodded to her parents then turned her attention back to the water bender, allowing her gift from Ezra to flow behind her. It seemed that the girl was wearing all of her Fire Nation armor, which neither of her parents knew she had brought. "Why is she wearing her armor?" Ty Lee inquired rhetorically, not expecting anyone to know.

But Angi answered anyways. "She's facing water. So, she needs to be as heavy as possible so the water won't sweep her away."

"Oh," Ty Lee stated as Azula nodded. "That makes sense." Neither able to take their eyes off of the arena as both girls got into their basic stances.

"It sure does," a familiar voice interrupted as suddenly the blind Earth Queen was standing beside Azula. The water bender began to run towards her friend, drawing water from the air. Detia switched her stance to defensive, ready to throw a wall up in a second as she twisted her waist and pulled her hand back. Like a coiled viper-rat, ready to throw a bolt of pure white lightning at her opponent once they reached that exact spot. "I get to fight to winner!" Toph announced loudly, and Yuna stopped instantly, allowing the water to evaporate into the air.

"I forfeit," the water bender proclaimed, bowing to a very confused Detia.

TBC

A/N: Did you know Ezra is a boy name? It means aid or help in Hebrew. Arjuna is also a male name, which I just found out is pronounced exactly like it looks or like this: a-rju-na. The first 'a' makes the sound like the 'a' in father. I like to pronounce it arujna even though that's not how it looks ;}lol. It means white in reference to the whiteness of milk, silver, LIGHTNING, and dawn.

Not that it really matters, after all what's in a name? I just thought it was an interesting fact, er facts.

Any who, Special thanks to ShyTyzulaFan (stealing the idea she gave me pretty much word for word ;P) and DarkndAngel9 for giving me ideas.


	23. Chapter 23

Of Fire

Chapter 23

Detia watched silently, her bending stance lowering, as Yuna again drew water from the air and lifted herself to the bottom level of the arena, landing beside Angi. "Whoa, wait a second," Toph's voice carried. "I'm not ready to fight yet. Especially not against her."

Even from her position on the ground Detia could see her mother smirk as she crossed her arms. "Can you be ready in ten minutes?"

"Watch my stuff, and I'll be ready in five," Toph countered as she began taking off her metal wristbands and crown.

Realizing that she was no longer going to fight Yuna but Toph instead, Detia took off towards her parents, easily running up the fifteen-foot wall. She stopped climbing when her feet were firmly placed on the edge of the railing of the wall. "I need all my weights taken off," she informed Ty Lee, her golden eyes flicking over to the Earth Queen as she took off all of her heavy metal jewelry and most of her heavier clothing.

"Weights?" Azula questioned. This was the first she had ever heard of her daughter wearing weights. "You make her wear weights."

"Since she was three, it helps with her balance," Ty Lee informed as she gently placed her daughter's Fire Nation armor on the ground just as Detia tossed her wristbands and belt near them. "And without them she's super light."

Ty Lee pulled at her child's boots, then handed one to Azula. The ex-Fire Bender's eyes widened in utter surprise. "It weighs at least ten pounds."

The acrobat nodded. "I know." She smiled. "All together I believe she has about…" her grey eyes turned to her daughter, who was folding her silk weapon carefully.

"About sixty pounds," Detia answered, placing her gift on the ground just as carefully as she had folded it.

"But you only weigh at most a hundred pounds!" Azula exclaimed, more annoyed that it had taken her ten years to find this out than the fact that her child only weighed about forty pounds.

"Actually on average without any weights on I weigh about forty-five pounds," Detia informed as if she was reciting her times tables. Azula exhaled deeply, her hand going to her forehead again. She growled lightly, wishing her headache would go away. "Does your head hurt?" the little monster asked.

Hard golden eyes looked up into younger ones and Azula nodded. "Yes," she answered.

"I've heard it's a common side effect when a lightning bender first begins utilizing their mental abilities, if they have them," Toph intoned as she pulled her long hair into a leather band before taking off the heavy leather fabric covering her feet.

Azula looked to her daughter for the answer to the unasked question. "It's true," Detia agreed. "Luckily for you it won't come all at once. Unlike for me. You remember when I was two and I collapsed?" It was rhetorical. She knew both of her parents remembered that day clearly, even though worse things had happened since then. So, she didn't wait for them to answer before she continued. "That's what happened. My mind opened suddenly and I could hear everything."

"Talk about major mental overload," Angi intoned from her place seated on one of the stone benches. "Are you guys ready to start this thing yet? I've waited forever to see this."

"What do you mean?" Ty Lee inquired, turning to the Fire Bender.

"Ignore her," Detia stated as she stretched, her simple white silk clothing that she wore under her regular tunic swaying in the slight breeze.

"Are you cold in that?" Azula inquired, eyeing her daughter's sleeveless white silk shirt, the loose white silk pants that reached to the middle of her shin and the belt that tied everything together, all of which matched perfectly with her hair.

"No colder than Toph," Detia countered, wiggling the toes of her bare feet and drawing Azula's attention to the Earth Bender.

The ex-princess almost chuckled at the outfit Toph was wearing and how closely it matched her daughter's except in green. The differences being that Toph's shirt was high collared, the long sleeves were rimmed in yellow cord, and her pants fell to her knees. She was also barefoot (not that that was anything out of the ordinary) and there was no metal on her person. "What no metal?" Azula remarked.

"I might not die from it, but getting struck by lightning is not fun. Especially if it's localized by whatever metal is on my person at the time," Toph reasoned as she turned to Detia. "You ready to get your ass kicked?"

"No," Detia answered with a smirk as she stood on the edge and motioned for Azula to come closer. With a quirked eyebrow, the ex-princess moved closer to her daughter and sighed when Detia placed her hands gently on Azula's head. Like magic the headache was suddenly gone. "Now," she said as she stood straight. "Just because we have a past doesn't mean I'm going easy on you." She leaned back and fell off the wall, landing soundlessly on her feet.

"That little brat," Toph murmured as she jumped over the edge of the wall and landed with a loud thump in the sand below.

"Finally!" Angi exclaimed, rushing to the edge to get a better view.

"Why are you so excited?" Ty Lee inquired as she set on the stone bench, easily pulling Azula to sit beside her. "And what did she mean by a past? What kind of past?"

Yuna chuckled from her place on the bench. "They were close," The water bender answered. "But that was a long time ago."

"Because they were 'close'," Angi continued with air quotations and a roll of her red eyes, "they never ever came to physical blows. This fight will be the very first one in the history of the entire world," the god of fire stated with the same excited energy she used when she first saw Toph. "I'm so excited!" she admitted, smiling widely back at her water bending partner.

"I believe it's about to start," Yuna intoned.

Everyone's attention turned to the arena. Detia stood at one end and Toph the other. Both waited, the tension in the air building. The instant Toph took up a stance, Detia disappeared, or it could have happened in reverse. A wall of rock shot up behind the Earth bender only to shatter seconds later as Detia's leg reappeared through it. "Shit," Azula exclaimed at her daughter's speed, moving closer to the arena unconsciously and making Ty Lee giggle.

This happened a few more times, spanning only a few seconds each time. Toph was still on the defensive, barely able to see Detia's attacks before she finished through with them. The lightning bender solidified where she began, a smirk growing on her face. Without time to spare Toph went on the offensive, sending multiple boulders at the girl in rapid succession. All were dodged or blocked with flawless ease. "Come on!" Angi yelled, getting bored fast with these basic moves.

Detia's smirk grew devious, one very similar on the Earth Bender's face as well. The earth rumbled as Toph's stance changed suddenly. Instantly, large thick pillars of stone erupted from the ground. The lightning bender dodged the pillars, unable to read Toph's mind fast enough to predict where some of the pillars would rise. As such, she ran on instincts, emitting lightning from her feet as she turned the sand under her to glass, using her light weight and the energy and height from the pillars to seemingly glide around the arena. She jumped from her smooth glass slide, flipping in midair to send a stream of white lightning through the pillars at the earth bender, then turning the sand that emitted from the pillars to continue creating her slide.

Toph sighed mentally as a wall of rock took the entire electrical burst and dissipated it. Detia used this momentary distraction to land the first blow in the fight, a knee placed firmly in Toph's gut. Angi grimaced, as did Azula who had found herself standing right beside the Fire Bender. To her credit, Toph didn't even flinch, only moved to punch the younger god. Detia was fast enough to dodge the full blow, but it did nip her shoulder. Of course, the nip was hard enough to dislocate said shoulder.

But it happened so fast that none of the spectators even suspected that Detia had forced her shoulder back in its socket as she sent bolts of lightning towards her opponent. Toph felt the blow and half expected she'd feel guilty about hitting a child with the same amount of force she'd use on a grown man. Later. Right now, as she narrowly dodged the stream of lightning that burst from the ground initiating from Detia's feet and directed with her fingers, guilt was the last thing she felt. Yes as the smell of her hair burning filled her senses, guilt was not even on the list of things she was feeling.

A solid rock wall formed around the Earth bender, so no one could see her go underground. Detia smirked and with the time Toph gave her by going underground moved quickly in her katas, forming a dragon of pure electrical energy. Similar in size to those she had seen in the mountains of the city of the Sun Warriors. It circled the arena several times, gaining speed with each rotation till it looked like one continuous large circle. Hair stood on end and metal buttons sparked harmlessly with the charged air that moved like the tide as the dragon circled, each wave of energy reacting with each person. Except Yuna who was using her water bending to dull the electrical current.

Azula stood in awe at the massive form as her hair stood on end. In Fire Bending, creating a dragon took time and complicated katas to learn. She herself had found using Fire bending for entertainment in such a way was insulting to the form. But seeing the massive dragon circle the arena like a guardian, she could see the potential of it being used as a weapon.

The slight change of the position of Detia's hands, as they turned palm to the ground, was the only warning the lightning bender gave as the dragon plunged into the earth. The force of the blow sent shockwaves in all directions, making the spectators grip hard onto anything to keep them flying back. If Toph hadn't bound Detia's feet in stone – in an attempt to keep her in one place – at that instant, the lightning bender would have been blown back as well. Crystallized sand fell from the sky as everything cleared. The arena was scorched black, a crater in the center as if it had been hit with a meteor. All the pillars that dotted the arena had been incinerated, hence the glass that fell from the sky. Luckily there was nothing in the arena that was flammable otherwise it would be gone.

Toph burst from the ground, stumbling slightly as white lines of electricity ran over her body, some escaping into the air while others connected with other body parts. "Are you finished yet?" Detia called, the smirk in her tone as clear as that dragon had been.

The Earth Bender grunted, wiping the blood from her mouth and nose as she stood straight. Now she remembered why she had never come to blows with Arjuna in the past. Getting struck by lightning hurt. It was like her entire body was on fire from the inside out, and silently she vowed that this would be the absolute last time she fought a lightning bender. She wondered if Aang felt like this after he was struck with lightning. "Probably not," Detia responded. "He died."

"Oh yeah," Toph spoke, the simple act of air leaving her lungs causing her to cough violently.

"Are you going to give up now?" Detia repeated.

Toph smirked as she nearly fell. "Not quite."

With a flick of her hand Detia was encased in rock, head to toe. Just as Detia turned the rock to glass and broke out, Toph was looming beside her. She couldn't react fast enough to dodge the blow but managed to block some of it, though that didn't stop her from skidding across the sand into a pillar that suddenly shot up. Had she not slowed her skidding with her foot the pillar would have hit her dead on instead of simply stopping her.

Detia encased herself in a cage of lightning, turning all of the rocks thrown her way into dust, as she checked to see if her jaw was broken. With the amount of blood gushing from her mouth and nose and the pain that shot through her jaw when she touched it she feared it might be. More than likely, though, from what she could tell it was only cracked. Along with like three or five of her teeth. She made a mental note to never fight a master earth bender almost twice her age in hand-to-hand combat. Detia jumped up, setting her jaw firmly as she forced her body to heal it. "Good, I didn't think you were going to get back up," Toph mocked. And though the relief in her tone was covered up, Detia could still hear it.

It was one thing to battle a bender, any kind of bender for that matter, but having to deal with an angry Ty Lee and her crazy chi blocking techniques was another thing entirely. Detia almost smirked, then reminded herself that her jaw was damaged and she didn't want to do that. Toph widened her stance, ready for whatever the lightning bender was going to send her way. Or so she thought. Detia raised her hands and Toph couldn't move anymore. "That's cheating!" Toph yelled, trying to yank her body free from the invisible hold.

'We never made any limitations,' Detia informed. 'This is perfectly legal.' Mentally Toph prepared herself for the blow that was sure to come and was utterly surprised when the invisible hold disappeared. Her blind eyes searched for the lightning bender, finding that she had not moved a foot. 'Stupid honor.'

Toph laughed at how crazy that had been. She had prepared herself for some serious damage that never came. "I think we should stop," Toph replied, still chuckling. "You could've wiped the floor with me with that move."

'If we had been fighting to the death, I would have used that move the instant the battle started,' Detia intoned. 'But my stupid upbringing and basic creation doesn't allow me to cheat like that,' she growled mentally, cursing her very DNA for a second before sighing. 'So, you forfeit then?'

Toph nodded, using her bending to lower whatever remained of her bending and return the arena back to its original shape. "Most definitely," Toph whispered, knowing that the lightning bender could hear her.

"What? That's it!" Angi yelled from her position in the stands.

Once the words left her mouth, Ty Lee was over the side and rushing to her daughter, Azula not far behind. Detia had flopped down on the ground, making sure not to move her jaw and hinder the healing process. She looked up at her mommy when she came into range and would have smiled, but again her jaw. Ty Lee said nothing as she kneeled, but the emotions she was feeling were many and all jumbled up. Taking her sleeve, she carefully wiped the blood from her daughter's face, seeing from the flow of her chi where she was injured. Relief was one of the emotions that fluttered in her; at least her daughter wasn't too badly hurt. Anger was another emotion she recognized, though she wasn't sure who she was angry at. Detia for participating in this fight or Toph for initiating it.

Azula felt much the same way, except she didn't blame Detia at all. In fact, she was very proud that her daughter had won (by default, but winning was winning) against a Master Earth bender like Toph. The taller woman stood behind her wife as Ty Lee did her best to not only stop the small amount of blood that still flowed but clean it up as well.

When the blood was relatively clear from her child's pale face, Ty Lee went to the second place where the chi pooled. Gingerly, just in case it was something serious, she tore the shirt at the neck, revealing the large bruise that was Detia's shoulders. Azula gasped. 'It was dislocated,' Detia informed, not even bothering to move. 'And my jaw is fractured.'

Ty Lee sighed, feeling her anger dissipate. It could have been far worse. Azula, however, felt the opposite. "What the hell, Toph!" the ex-princess yelled. "Did you hit her like you would an adult?"

Toph, who had followed Detia's example and sat down, rolled her dull green eyes. Her body still felt like it was on fire. She'd much prefer a few fractured bones to the feeling she had now. "No, Azula, I'm perfectly okay. Thanks for asking."

"I don't care about you," Azula answered as she practically stormed over to the Earth Bender, placing her hands on her hips as she looked down at her. "What were you thinking hitting her like that?"

"She wasn't pulling her punches," Toph defended herself.

"She's a child!" Azula argued back.

"Actually she was," Yuna interrupted, appearing out of nowhere beside the ex-princess. "Her creation doesn't allow her to do certain things while in a fair fight."

Toph snorted and forced herself to stand, even though it hurt every single muscle she had. "Yeah, I know."

"You're injured." It was a statement. "Allow me to heal you." That was asked in such a way that Toph could not deny the water bender.

"Wait, what?" Azula demanded.

"It's a long story," Toph answered, the muscles in her legs giving out from under her.

As a reaction, Azula caught the younger woman, surprised at how heavy she was. "What do you eat?" Azula complained. Toph only chuckled. "I can't believe you hit my daughter like that." Azula said under her breath.

"You're not going to let this go are you? Even though it was a fair fight?" Toph intoned.

"Hell no, I'm not going to let it go. What if it was your daughter fighting, and you were in the stands watching? How would you feel watching a woman, twice the age and size of your daughter, send your child flying across the arena?"

Toph frowned; damn that stupid logic. "Fine. Next time I fight your daughter, I'll make sure she's older and asleep." Without saying a word, Azula dropped the Earth Queen, watching passively as Toph was unable to support her own weight and fell to the ground with a loud groan. "You bitch! That hurt."

Azula continued to remain silent as she walked back over to her child. 'You shouldn't be mad at her. She's in more pain than me,' Detia pointed out, still on the ground as Ty Lee created a make-shift sling from the metal lined silk that Angi had brought over to her.

"Hush. Are you finished, Ty?" The acrobat nodded, their daughter's blood ruining her clothes. Almost roughly, Azula picked her daughter up, making her flinch slightly. "I'm not very happy with you either."

'I won,' Detia offered weakly.

"Which is the only reason I'm not scolding you." The ex-princess placed a light kiss on her daughter's forehead as she started walking to one of the exits on the level.

"I really wish you wouldn't do things that get you hurt like this," Ty Lee interjected, following beside her wife.

'It won't happen again,' Detia promised. 'That's the first and last time I go against Earth.'

Ty Lee sighed. "Good. I really don't like seeing you get hurt."

Detia leaned her head where Azula's shoulders met her neck and sighed at how cool her mother felt. Her golden eyes looked at her mommy as she replied, 'I know.'

"Big Sis!" Azula cringed as her little sister raced over to her from the exit they were going to.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Azula growled, though she didn't stop.

The younger woman didn't seem the least bit perturbed, turning on her heels to follow beside Azula. "You could tell me a hundred thousand times and I'd still call you big sis," Aziza informed with a wide smile as Azula glared at her. "Did you see that large circle of light in the sky just a second ago? The town's in an uproar! The archeologists say it was a form of lightning bending or something. What happened to Detia?"

"Are you always this annoying?" Azula all but hissed, ignoring the chuckles from her wife and daughter.

"Probably," Aziza answered honestly, her smile widening. "As your little sister, it's in my job description to be needlessly annoying," She remarked as if stating a fact, and Azula couldn't really argue because she was needlessly annoying to Zuko – more so than Aziza was to her. The girl's golden eyes caught sight of the earth bender and Detia's two friends. "What happened to that girl?"

"That's Toph," Ty Lee answered. "She and Detia got into a fighting match."

"Ohh," she drawled. "So did she create that huge light thingy?" Silently, Detia pointed her good hand at herself. "You did that?" Detia nodded. "That was awesome. From what I'm told, that's a hard bending move to learn."

"Well of course," Azula offered, indignant for her daughter. "Detia is a master of her element."

"I thought it took years…"

"She's been training for years," Azula interrupted. "As my daughter, nothing else will do."

Aziza's black eyebrow lifted and she mumbled, "You sure are prickly."

"What was that?" Azula's golden hawk eyes glared, like a predator eyeing its prey.

"Nothing." The younger to-be-royal sing-songed. "But that was totally awesome, what you did. I wish I could have seen it up close." Aziza paused as she looked at her niece, smiling inwardly at the thought that she had a niece. "How are you going to explain to mom what happen to your kid?"

"What do you mean?" Azula inquired, ignoring the stares of the villagers as they headed to the inn.

"Well." The girl paused. "I mean. She looks pretty beat up. What are you going to say?"

"The truth always works," Ty Lee intoned, looking exhausted.

Aziza shrugged then her eyes lit up. "Hey, there's a hot spring lake up the mountains a little ways. It's said to have healing properties. We could go there. I love that place."

"Hot spring lake?" Azula repeated.

Charcoal hair bounced as Aziza nodded enthusiastically. "It's this huge, deep lake in the middle of the mountains, and for some unknown reason, the water is always really warm. It's been that way forever."

Ty Lee made a slight moaning noise. "I could use a dip in a hot spring," she said lightly.

"Not today," Azula stated in a tone only slightly lighter than her tone that was not to be questioned. The ex-princess rolled her eyes when she felt Ty Lee's large eyes on her, begging her to let them go. "Ty Lee," Azula called. "Detia's asleep." All eyes fell to the little girl who was curled up against Azula as best she could with her injuries, breathing evenly and sleeping soundly. "Tomorrow, when she's up to it, we'll see."

"Is she going to be up to it tomorrow?" Aziza inquired, grating on Azula's nerves.

The older sister ignored the question as she walked through the open door of the inn her mother owned. "Welcome back," Ursa greeted from behind the counter, her eyes widening when they caught sight of Detia. "What on earth happened to Detia? Does this have anything to do with that white light in the sky just a second ago?"

"It sure does!" Aziza announced before Azula or Ty Lee could reply.

Ursa sighed, swallowing her concern and the reprimand she was going to give Azula for allowing Detia to get hurt that bad. Those kinds of remarks would do nothing to mend the rift between them. "Well," she started again, choosing to trust that Azula knew how to raise her own daughter. "Matt, the archeologist," she elaborated at the confused look on Ty Lee and Azula's faces, "came by while you were out to apologize for his behavior. He realized that what he was asking seemed…cruel," she explained, her eyes looking down as Detia's hand that wasn't in the sling gripped the shirt Azula was wearing. And though the child wasn't smiling, Ursa could tell that Detia was, at that moment, very happy. With a small smile, Ursa placed a metal violin on the counter. "He wanted her to have this."

It was not the wooden one that Detia had mock played the other day. The metal violin on the table had new strings but otherwise the metal looked old. It was polished, sure, but it just had an old feel to it. Ty Lee picked it up, surprised at how light it was considering it was metal. "We'll be sure to give it to her when she wakes up. But now we should put her to bed."

"That's it? You're not going to scold her for letting your granddaughter get hurt?" Aziza whined lightly.

"Aziza," Ursa sighed, shaking her head at her youngest child. "Stop trying to get your sister in trouble. She's a grown woman. I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

Azula smirked at her sister. Who, in return, promptly stuck her tongue out. Again, Ursa only shook her head, smiling slightly.

~x~

The sun had been set for some time when she finally woke. Both of her parents were sleeping on the bed with her in the middle. Carefully, so not to wake them and further injure her arm, Detia crawled out of bed. With her undamaged hand she rubbed her eyes and started to yawn. Pain shot through her jaw as she moved it and she mentally groaned. Neither her shoulder nor jaw had completely healed yet. Notably, the bruising on her shoulder was now only a dull yellow and there was only bruising on her jaw with no fractured bone, except maybe a tooth or two. She sighed, mentally of course, and made her way to the kitchen. Water sounded really good at the moment.

The kitchen was small when compared to all the other kitchens that Detia had been in. The windows were open, allowing the cool breeze to filter into the room. Blue rays from the nearly full moon streamed past the drawn curtains, shedding their pale light on everything they touched. A storm was brewing, about a day or two away. Detia could feel the electrical energy in the air, which did nothing to hinder her healing abilities. The light of a single candle placed on the table in the kitchen flickered with the breeze, illuminating the woman sitting at the table looking out the window in a warm orange glow. Purposefully, Detia made a noise before approaching her grandmother.

Ursa turned to the noise and gasped loudly, dropping the empty cup in her hands. It took a minute to realize that she was not looking at the spirit that saved her daughter's life so long ago but her granddaughter. The older woman sighed heavily, picked the cup up from the floor, placed it back on the table, and smiled gently at her granddaughter. "It's late," she stated warmly, seeing so much of Azula in the girl's appearance. "What are you doing up?"

'I'm thirsty,' the little girl answered mentally, the room too dark for Ursa to notice that Detia did not move her mouth as she spoke.

"Would you like me to get you something to drink?" Detia nodded very slightly, but enough for Ursa to see her nod. "Alright then," the older woman smiled as she stood. "Come sit down and I'll get it for you." Silently, the young goddess sat at the table in the seat opposite of the one Ursa was sitting in. "Is water okay?"

'Yes.' She heard.

Sitting the cup of water in front of her granddaughter, Ursa promptly retook her seat, her eyes lingering on the make-shift sling. "How are your injuries?"

Detia drummed her fingers against the cup, keeping her head cast down slightly so her grandmother wouldn't see her mouth not moving. 'They're healing nicely.'

Ursa chuckled, though it seemed somewhat forced. "I saw what you did to that earth bender."

'Toph?'

"Yes," Ursa confirmed with a nod. "She was dragged in here about an hour after you. She said that her body was on fire from the inside out. I assume that's what happens when you strike someone with lightning." Detia nodded to confirm, still lightly tapping her fingers on the glass. The sound of a chair scraping the floor as it was pushed backwards surprised her into looking up. Silently, Ursa moved a drawer in the kitchen, opening it with a slight whoosh. The older woman returned, placing a straw in her granddaughter's drink before returning to her seat. "Your jaw is not fully healed is it?"

Embarrassed, Detia shook her head in the negative. 'Thank you.'

"You are most welcome," The older woman remarked warmly. Briefly, silence fell between them as Detia placed the straw in her mouth and began to drink. "Detia?" the girl's golden eyes glowed in the moonlight as they looked up at her grandmother. "It was you, wasn't it. The spirit that brought my daughter back to life?"

The lightning bender removed the straw from her mouth, hesitating before answering. 'Yes, that was me.'

Ursa nodded. "I'm not complaining, but why? What was so special about my little girl that wasn't with any number of children that likely died that day? Were you just using her so you could be reborn into this world?"

'No,' Detia answered calmly, though her tone stabbed into her grandmother's head like a knife. 'That's not how it happened. I would have saved her life regardless. She offered to be my mother after I told her I was bringing her back to life.'

Ignoring the sharp pain in her head that quickly dissipated, the older woman nodded. She had no idea how that had happened and was in no position to argue over it. "Why her?"

Detia sighed mentally, placing the straw back in her mouth. 'She would have been the first.' Detia answered, not looking up. 'She would have been the first lightning bender in thousands of years. When she died, I was going to keep her with me because bringing her back to life would mean giving her to her father, who would only hinder her abilities. But then there was you.' Ursa sat silently, listening to her granddaughter as the memories that she had buried long ago resurfaced. 'You loved her so much. I thought that, if she had you on her side, she could grow to be a…' she hesitated, breathing out heavily before raising her eyes to meet Ursa's glazed eyes. The golden orbs glowed in the light of the moon. 'I thought she could be something great if you loved her as much as you did on that day.'

Ursa placed a hand over her eyes, trying to force herself not to release the tears. "I'm sorry," she finally stated after a few minutes of controlling her emotions. "If I would have known…."

'Don't apologize. You had no way of knowing,' Detia interrupted. 'Things turned out for the best. I love my mother and the person she is now. And she loves me and the person I am.'

"Yes, but…" Ursa exhaled heavily, her breath forming a white cloud. For a minute there was silence as Ursa gathered her thoughts. She looked at her granddaughter, and her lips formed a soft smile. "I'm glad that she has so many people who love her now."

Detia only nodded, still sipping her drink. A comfortable quiet filled the air between them for at least ten minutes before the lightning bender asked, 'Can I ask you a personal question?'

Ursa hesitated, her eyes widening only slightly at the odd request. "Sure," she agreed.

'It's about Aziza,' Detia clarified, hesitant in case Aziza was a sore spot. When Ursa didn't immediately answer she continued. 'Mommy's been wondering about how she was born and who her father is.'

"Mommy?"

'Ty Lee,' Detia informed. 'Mother, Azula, doesn't care who Aziza's father is. It's enough that she is your daughter.'

Ursa chuckled. "That's very unlike your mother."

'Her disposition is changing. The closer she gets to being a true lightning bender, the more little details that used to be important to her, like who sired who, are no longer important,' Detia explained.

"I see," Ursa remarked as she linked her fingers and rested her chin over them, watching her granddaughter carefully. "I'm not sure I should be telling my granddaughter of a part of my past where I was at my weakest."

'A woman has her needs,' the lightning bender stated matter-of-factly, surprising her grandmother. 'I don't know what that means exactly, but that's what mommy says.'

Ursa chuckled. "I see."

'Mommy worries that you were forced,' Detia remarked casually, understanding to some extent what that implied but not enough to know to be tactful while bringing it up.

"I was not forced," Ursa admitted. "After I was banished," she started, her eyes glazing over slightly at the memory, "Ozai saw fit to move me from place to place, so it'd be hard to find me. I was accompanied by elite guards at all times. Over time I became very," she paused "ill. At first, my illness was attributed to home-sickness, and I did miss my home and my children. But eventually, my home-sickness became a full illness, and we had to stop at a very small village about a day's ride from here. We didn't know it at the time, but the village was the hideout of an Earth Kingdom rebellion. They noticed the Fire Nation soldiers for what they were and attacked them. Not one of my guards survived the assault. They were going to kill me too. Spirits know it wouldn't have been hard with the state I was in. But their leader stopped them. He saw how sick I was, and nursed me back to health."

'And one thing led to another,' Detia interrupted, stopping the little movie she was watching as Ursa thought about what happened.

"Well, yes," Ursa confirmed, becoming slightly uncomfortable when she realized that she was talking to her granddaughter about such things and even more so when she remembered that Detia could read minds. "How well can you read minds?"

Detia cast her eyes to her now empty cup, checked her injuries and was satisfied with how they were healing, and then looked back up at her grandmother. 'Very,' The girl answered. 'I saw the story you were telling as if I had been there with you.'

Ursa chuckled, as hard as that may have been for others to believe. She found that for some reason it wasn't that bizarre. "So that's why you stopped me," Detia nodded. "It must be hard with your parents."

Detia almost smiled, a sharp pain in her jaw warning her against it. 'You have no idea.'

"So it's not a constant thing?"

The lightning bender shook her head in the negative. 'Not anymore. I can choose who to listen to and who not to listen to. But it's really hard cutting the ties with my parents.'

"I see," Ursa chuckled, examining the little girl and wondering if Azula looked like Detia when she was ten. "Is that empty?" Detia pushed the cup towards her grandmother, "Would you like more?" The lightning bender nodded.

The older woman smiled and stood, taking the cup with her. 'Were you always here?' Detia questioned. 'After he rescued you, that is.'

"No." her grandmother answered. "When I became pregnant with Aziza, he moved us here. This is his hometown, you see. This Inn used to belong to his brother and sister-in-law."

'Where did they go?'

Ursa paused and hummed. "If I remember correctly, they moved to Ba Sing Se before I arrived."

'And him?' Detia asked, not bothering with tact.

Sighing heavily, Ursa returned to the table, placing the cup of water in front of the girl. "He left one day when Aziza was still just a baby and never came back."

"Do you know what happened to him?" a voice asked from the shadows.

'Mother,' Detia addressed before Ursa could inquire who was there.

Azula walked out of the shadows towards her daughter, her deep red night robes tied together haphazardly, unconcerned that it was very close to showing more flesh than was appropriate – she was in an Inn full or women after all. A few strands of her dark hair fell from the low ponytail to frame her face. She placed a hand on her daughter's head as she sat between her mother and Detia. The hand on Detia's head moved to her chin, gently moving the girl's head from one side to the other. Satisfied that her jaw was healing well, Azula went to the other injury, moving the collar of Detia's tunic to reveal the yellow bruise. Ursa watched silently as Azula examined the injuries. What kind of relationship did Azula have to have with her daughter to not even ask to see the injuries? To just move her clothing to the side and examine where she hurt. How much trust had to be between them?

She could remember a time when Azula, only a few years younger than Detia, had gotten injured during practice. It happened often enough, but that time it had been particularly bad. So, Ursa tried to see just how bad it was, and Azula pulled away from her. The look in those young golden eyes, a look of suspicion and doubt, as if Azula didn't know why Ursa was even bothering, was forever seared into her mind. It hurt to know she never had that kind of relationship with her oldest daughter. The older woman watched as Azula smiled and cupped Detia's cheek, her smile widening when the little girl nuzzled into it slightly. "You're healing nicely," Azula stated matter-of-factly. Detia nodded. "Not that I expected anything less."

'When did you get up?' Detia inquired,

"Shortly after you did," Azula answered. "I thought that maybe you wanted to get something to drink, but when you didn't come back, I decided to investigate." The little girl nodded as her mother took her cup and drank from it before giving it back to Detia. "Imagine my surprise to find you here with my mother talking about things that are none of your business."

"It's all right," Ursa defended quickly. "I didn't mind."

Azula smirked, that was just what she wanted to hear. "Well then, if you don't mind, this man. Do you know what happened to him?"

"He wasn't like Ozai," Ursa remarked defensively. "He was a good, honest man. He wouldn't have just left."

"I never said he would," Azula remarked evenly, eyeing her mother suspiciously.

Ursa sighed, she always got defensive when talking about him. He wasn't the type of person to leave her. She still remembered the overjoyed expression on his face when Aziza was born. Looking up into the hard golden eyes of her daughter, Ursa sighed, "Don't look at me like that."

Purposefully, Azula changed her expression. "Mother, I don't blame you falling for another man. I merely want to know where he is."

"No one knows for sure," Ursa answered. "He left one morning like he usually did, and simply, did not return in the evening. A search party was launched and they found some of his clothing but nothing else."

"So he died," Azula remarked emotionlessly, knowing that it was callous of her to say that in such a tone.

"Azula," Ty Lee's sleepy whine interrupted before Ursa could reply as the still mostly asleep acrobat stumbled into the kitchen. "It's late. Stop harassing your mother, and come back to bed."

Azula smiled as Ty Lee rubbed one of her eyes with the back of her hand, the sleeve of her wrinkled pink robes falling to cover her hand and revealing most of her shoulder. Despite the condition of her attire Ty Lee's long hair simply seemed to flow over her shoulders and down her back in one silky wave. "It's Detia's fault," Azula accused casually, knowing that her wife was in no condition to argue.

With her grey eyes mostly closed, Ty Lee did her best to look displeased, though it turned out to look more like a pout. "She needs to come to bed too."

"You heard her," Azula remarked as she stood. "Your mommy wants us back in bed."

"With the quickness," Ty Lee added and giggled for no apparent reason.

'Mommy's weird when she's sleepy,' Detia noted as she slipped from the chair and walked over to her mommy, taking the woman's hand.

Azula nodded in agreement. "You two go ahead. I'll be there shortly," Detia nodded, tugging Ty Lee's hand to prompt her back to bed before she fell asleep standing up. When they were far enough away, Azula placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "I am sorry that you lost someone you cared deeply for, mother."

Ursa smiled up at her oldest daughter and patted the hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."

The ex-firebender nodded. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"I will," Ursa replied. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Azula repeated, letting go of her mother's shoulder and following her wife and daughter back to their room.

~x~

"I am not getting into that water!" Angi and Toph chorused, both crossing their arms and looking stern.

Ty Lee chuckled from where her towel and umbrella were set up, Azula and Aziza standing next to her. "I can't believe this type of place exists," the acrobat intoned.

Aziza nodded. "The archeologist think that because the lake is surrounded by mountains that it traps the heat in, creating a hot springs type environment. The caves that they're always exploring are around here somewhere."

"They are?" Azula questioned, only a little interested as she watched Yuna, who had jumped into the water the instant she saw it, approach Angi.

"Yep," Aziza chirped, also watching the children.

"I don't even know why I'm here," Toph yelled, keeping a close eye on the water bender who was quickly approaching.

"Because I asked you to come," Detia remarked verbally, her jaw healed enough that it didn't hurt to speak, as she followed her water bending friend to the beach.

"Ask?" Angi intoned indignantly. "Is that what we're calling it now? You two conned us into coming here. I hate the water."

Toph remained silent, unwilling to admit that Detia had simply asked if she wanted to go and she agreed of her own free will – the memory of her past self and Arjuna having a great time at a lake coming to her mind. Rock encased her feet as a wave of warm water washed over them, keeping the Earth Queen right where she was. Angi, however, was not so lucky. "You're wet now. You should come into the water. It's nice and warm," Detia stated, suddenly appearing beside the earth bender, ignoring Angi as she yelled obscenities at Yuna.

Toph looked down at the little goddess, though she didn't need to. "I can't see in the water."

"Oh? Why not?" It was a simple question.

"I…." Toph hesitated, admitting that she didn't know seemed unacceptable.

Detia chuckled and took the earth bender's hand, a small surge of electrical energy running up Toph's arm. "Come on. I'll help." Sighing heavily, Toph followed Detia to the edge of the water, ignoring the energy. Detia tugged on Toph's hand when the earth bender hesitated. They stopped when the water lapped at Toph's knees. Focusing, the Earth Queen tried to get a clear picture of what was before. "What do you see?" Detia inquired.

"I can see the earth," Toph answered. "But not the water. It looks like a deep valley with caves and everything."

The lightning bender hummed. "Can you see the fish or anything like that?"

"No," Toph remarked deadpan.

Again Detia made a humming sound, her pose indicating that she was running through her mind for a solution. "That takes a long time to learn," she mumbled to herself.

"What would take too long?" the earth bender inquired.

Golden eyes looked up at her as Toph's grip tightened when the sand shifted under their feet. "Echo location," Detia answered. "It would take you months to learn, and it's not really an Earth Bending technique. We'll just have to do this the easy way."

Toph smirked, have a vague idea what the 'easy' way was. "Do I need to lean down?"

She felt the lightning bender nod and promptly knelt, the water coming to her chest. Small warm hands covered her eyes then pulled away. "The sun's bright," Detia warned as Toph stood, rubbing her eyes before opening them.

Like she said it would be, the sun was bright, temporarily re-blinding the earth bender. She shielded her eyes and allowed them to adjust. Toph gaped in amazement at the lake before her. Surrounded by majestic mountains, that dimmed with the steam coming from the water, making it appear as if they were in a different world. "I can't swim," Toph stated absently, still amazed by the scene before her.

"Terren could swim," Detia reminded. "If you have his memories, then you should be able to swim as well."

"True," Toph conceded.

~x~

"That looks like so much fun." Ty Lee intoned as she watched Angi place her feet in Toph's linked hands and let the Earth Queen launch her into the air.

"It sure does. You wanna join them?" Aziza inquired with an excited smile.

Ty Lee didn't even answer as she stood and raced towards the group yelling "My turn!"

"I guess that's a yes. Big sis, you want to come?" Azula shook her head in the negative; she'd never been a big fan of water. "Alright then, your loss."

The younger sibling stood and made her way to the water, yelling much the same as Ty Lee did. "Wow," Toph remarked as she watched Aziza run towards them. "She really does look like Azula."

"Yep," Ty Lee agreed as she swam towards them.

"Speaking of which, why is Azula still on the beach?"

"Azula doesn't like the water," Ty Lee offered and stood next to her daughter, who grabbed her mommy's arm to keep her from going under the water.

"That's not fair!" Angi yelled from her place on the ice float Yuna made. "Why do I have to get into the water and the princess over there doesn't?"

"She has point," Detia remarked, a devious smirk forming on her face.

The expression was matched by Toph. "Azula!" the Earth Queen yelled. "Come play with us!"

Azula made a vague hand gesture. "No, that's okay," she yelled back.

In an instant the sand beneath the ex-princess hardened, and before she could say anything, she found herself in waist deep water. "What the hell!"

"That wasn't a request," Toph answered.

No sooner did Azula stand up did Toph find herself being kicked in the face and falling in the water. "There, we're even."

The Earth bender rubbed her jaw and chuckled as she looked up at the smug look on Azula's face. "That was a good shot," Toph praised as she stood. "But now that you're in the water, let's have some fun."

Azula sighed and rolled her golden eyes. "Fine."

"It's my turn to be thrown," Aziza immediately intoned.

~x~

"Would you stop gawking at my mother," Azula growled as she dabbed the ends of wet hair lightly with a towel.

"But you look so much alike. You could be her mirror image," Toph argued, earning a scowl from the ex-firebender and a chuckle from Ursa.

"It's too bad it started raining and you had to come back early," Ursa remarked, setting a hot cup of tea in front of Toph and Azula. "Where did you say everyone went?"

"Ty Lee's in the bath with Detia," Azula answered. "Yuna and Angi dragged Aziza into town so she could help them buy gear or something."

"Gear?" Ursa repeated.

Toph nodded before drinking the tea. "There are some caves under the lake that they wanted to explore, and since they don't have parents to tell them that they can't go, they're going tomorrow."

At Ursa's confused expression Azula elaborated. "Detia informed us that the storm would only be worse tomorrow, and Ty Lee and I forbid her to go out into it."

"Poor kid," Toph uttered lightly, again earning her scowl from Azula.

"Where the hell are your guards that are taking us back to Ba Sing Se?" Azula questioned instead, though the growl was still there.

Confusion was the expression on Ursa's face. Toph didn't even blink at the harsh tone or the fact that Azula should not be talking to her like that since she was of higher rank. But Toph was never one for formalities. "With the storm, I'd give them about two more days," she answered.

"Zuko will be here by then. I wanted to be gone before he arrived," Azula mumbled.

Toph shrugged casually. "Nothing you can do about it. You'll just have to wait. Maybe the airship will take longer because of the weather."

"Doubtful," Azula sighed, propping her head in her hand.

With the lapse in conversation, Ursa finally asked, "Are you not going back to the Fire Nation?"

Azula's golden eyes turned to her mother, remembering that Ursa knew nothing of what had transpired between her and Zuko. Really now that she thought about it, Ursa didn't know a thing since before she left. Not Zuko's scar or his banishment or her brief stint of insanity, Ursa didn't know anything. Briefly, she wondered how Ursa would react if she knew. Azula couldn't help but think that maybe Ursa would treat her differently if she did. "It's complicated," Detia's voice carried as she walked into the room, interrupting her mother's thoughts as she approached the table, and sat in the unoccupied seat. "But we'll be going to Ba Sing Se with Toph."

"Oh," was Ursa's disappointed response, her thoughts mimicking her tone. "I see."

"It's not like we're going to be far away," Azula informed to which Ursa nodded.

Ursa smiled warmly, thinking that she just had to make the next two days count.

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

Of Fire

Chapter 24

By nightfall the storm had been fifty or sixty miles away, just far enough to prompt her to sleep. It had taken her hours to finally fall asleep with a storm so close, but she managed it, oddly enough finding a resting place in her grandmother's bed. Seeing as she wasn't the only one affected by the stormy weather, and with Azula's newly acquired amped energy levels, it was needless to say that her parents were doing a lot of things that did not involve sleep. So she couldn't sleep with them. Yuna and Angi had no room left in their shared bed, and she felt asking Toph would be odd. The next logical place was her grandmother. More than once, as she entered her grandmother's room, she thought about simply turning around and going to sleep on a couch or bed somewhere. Awkwardly, she stood in the room, watching her grandmother sleep and thinking that she didn't know the woman well enough to ask. She should just find an empty room and try to go to sleep.

Luckily the choice was taken from her when Ursa's golden eyes opened, spotting the little lightning bender. Surprisingly, Ursa's first thought was that Azula must be afraid of the weather. Of course, then she remembered that Azula was a grown woman and the last thing her fearless daughter feared was the weather. Waking up a little more, the older woman noticed the white hair and the awkward stance. "Detia?" she questioned lightly as the girl thumbed the fabric of her white night shirt. "What's wrong?"

'Nothing,' Detia thought out of habit. 'I…I just don't have anywhere…to uh…to sleep.'

"Oh?" Ursa inquired as she sat up, lighting the lamp beside her bed. "What are your parents doing?" Detia blushed and looked down. "Oh. I see." She smiled warmly. "And you came to me?"

Detia blushed in embarrassment, still not making eye contact, but nodded slightly. 'I didn't know who else to go to. At the palace, Ezra was always sleeping with me, so I could focus on her instead of the storm and go to sleep,' Detia answered quickly.

"I see," Ursa said, her soft smile not giving away just how ecstatic she was that her granddaughter, who she had only known for less than a week, would ask to sleep with her. She moved the comforter out of the way and patted her bed lightly. "Come on, then."

'Are…are you sure?'

The older woman's smile widened. "Of course." Hesitantly, Detia walked over to her grandmother and slipped into the bed. Her expression never changed from unsure as Ursa tucked her in and blew out the light. "Goodnight, Detia."

''Night,' Detia thought and felt her grandmother lay down.

For a while the girl lay stiff and awake, fully aware of the semi-foreign presence beside her and the fact that the storm was doing nothing to make her mind focus on one thing. Swallowing hard, Detia turned on her side and cuddled against her grandmother, hearing the woman's increased heartbeat and surprised intake of breathe. Ursa knew that Detia was not afraid of the weather and for a second wondered what it could be. But she didn't question it. She only wrapped her arms around the child's slim frame and held her granddaughter. Detia sighed without meaning to, focusing on Ursa's heartbeat as it evened. The tenseness eased slowly, but the instant it did, Detia found sleep.

However, once the first bolt of lightning painted the sky within the city's borders white, Detia awoke, her golden eyes snapping open. Carefully, she extracted herself from her grandmother's hold and went to window. The lightning bender watched as the black sky split with bolts of white and yellow, the sound of the electrical force rattling the walls. She smiled as the hot lines jumped from cloud to cloud and reached to the ground. In the back of her mind, she knew that going outside would probably make her parent's mad or something. But of course, that was in the back of her mind, quickly and easily silenced as a bolt almost completed its journey to the ground.

When Ursa woke just a few minutes later due to the thunder and lack of warmth, she groggily got out of bed and began looking for her granddaughter. Her mind, which until that point was still hazy with sleep, woke fully when she found the young girl outside in the rain, standing in a puddle barefoot with her hands reaching to the sky. At first, the only thing she did was stand in the doorway and stare as the bolts of lightning rushed to Detia's hands, circling around her wrist but ultimately forming a ball before dissipating. The heat from the lightning as it neared burned the surrounding ground and caused the water to sizzle and evaporate.

Ursa, being the intelligent woman she was, went back inside and immediately to her daughter's room. She knocked first and was surprised when Azula opened the door, fully awake and thankfully clothed. The ex-princess' scowl lessened at the sight of her mother but still radiated displeasure. "I just thought you should be aware," Ursa answered before Azula could say anything, "that Detia is outside."

Azula looked out the nearby window, seeing the lightning streak towards the ground, her scowl returning full force as she tied the sash tightly around her waist. Mumbling unhappily, Azula more or less stormed down the hall to the door leading outside, followed closely by her mother. The ex-princess didn't even hesitate as she exited, giving her daughter one warning as she approached. "Detia!"

Immediately, the lightning in the girl's hands died, and she turned to her mother, putting on the best puppy dog face she could, which was pretty good since it made Ursa chuckle and feel sorry for her. Azula, however, was not nearly as soft-hearted as her mother and completely ignored the expression. Stopping halfway between the door and her daughter, Azula pointed to the door. "Inside. Now," she growled.

Detia flinched as she passed her mother. She half expected to be hit, even though Azula had never raised her hand to the child. Honestly, Azula wasn't half as mad as she gave off being. She could understand Detia's want to go outside, and somewhere in her consciousness, a voice reasoned that Detia more than likely would not be struck by lightning again. However, that did not stop the memory of watching helplessly as her daughter nearly died from overriding that voice. They sat in silence in the kitchen. Not a word was passed between them, but Detia, who was dry, would flinch every so often as her mother, who was not dry and was not happy about it, replayed the time Detia was struck by lightning and the things it did to her parents.

"I'm sorry," Detia finally said.

Azula continued to glare for a few seconds more before sighing. "I know. You are not to go outside in this kind of weather, no matter how powerful you are. Do you understand?"

Detia nodded solemnly.

~x~

The afternoon found the lightning bender sitting at a table with one hand propping up her head and the other plucking the strings of her metal violin in perfect time with flash of light from the lightning. Angi and Yuna had left early that morning with all their gear. The fire bender made sure to rub their ability to go outside in Detia's face. No one even batted an eye when said fire bender was thrown out the door by a burst of lightning. Had Yuna not stopped Angi from going back inside, a fight would have ensued and the God of Fire would have learned what it really meant to fight a lightning bender. But Yuna saved her life that morning, and they were off to explore the 'underwater caves of lightning benders' – as Angi had so kindly renamed it. Detia tried to reason with her mother, to allow her to go with them. After all, she wouldn't really be outside. But Azula was firm with her resounding no.

The instant Ty Lee woke, which was around noon, Azula found it prudent to inform the acrobat about what had happened earlier that morning. This of course ruined whatever chance Detia had to convince her mommy that it was okay to follow her friends to the caves. Ty Lee was shocked but not necessarily angry; she couldn't be with how miserable her little girl looked. All she did was walk up to her daughter and asked if she had been properly scolded. Detia nodded, not even bothering to look up from where her head rested on the table. Toph ran her hands over the day's newsletter, finding the comings and goings of this village very dull. Occasionally, she would glance over to Detia and sigh mentally. Arjuna loved this kind of weather and would stay outside for hours enjoying it, much to the amusement of Terren. The kid must have been completely miserable. "You know," Toph remarked offhandedly, "Arjuna loved this kind of weather. She would stay out in it for hours and never get hurt, or wet for that matter."

"True," Azula easily conceded from her place in front of a Pai Sho board, easily winning a match against her sister. "But Arjuna did not have parents, did she?"

Toph remained silent for a second before nodding, feeling Detia flinch at her mother's tone. "Yeah," she remarked. She'd rather not get into the whole origin of the gods story. She really hated telling it. Toph turned to Detia and whispered loudly, "I tried." Detia hummed her thank you. "I was wondering." Toph decided to try her best to get the lightning bender's mind off the outside weather. "Whatever happened to Linka after the war?"

"I donna know." Detia slurred, in no mood for conversation.

"You don't know." Toph repeated. "How do you know so much about Maya and Alia but not Linka?"

Detia sighed, plucking the strings of her new instrument, again, in time with the lightning. If she had a bow she'd at least be able to control the lightning. But no, that idiot archeologist had given her an instrument without a utensil to play it. "Both of my parents' families have very detailed family trees. I just examined them." Detia answered deadpan. "Maya even founded the academies. Over the centuries her picture has gotten distorted. She's male now with black hair.

"The books on the history of the school said the painting of the founder was changed two times. I'm sure someone of higher standings looked at the picture and said 'A woman couldn't have founded this great school' and changed the image to a male. And then another person looked at the picture and thought, 'What member of the fire nation has yellow hair. The artist must have been an idiot. Change it back to black.' But according to the journals she founded them. Why I don't know. I hated that place.

"Before Alia got married, she joined the circus, traveled all over the world and performed some super difficult move that she called the golden…something or another." If she thought about it, she could remember the name of the technique, but at the moment, she just didn't feel like it.

"The Golden Phoenix?" Ty Lee inquired, the amazement in her tone telling Azula that the technique had to be amazing.

"That sounds about right." Detia answered, ignoring her mommy's amazement, she had seen an old picture of Alia in mid performance, a flyer advertising the circus. The words were worn and hard to read, but the picture was in perfect condition. "But Linka just dropped off the face of the planet after the war. For a while, there were records of her going from town to town doing mercenary work but then nothing."

"Oh," Toph remarked as she and Detia continued to ignore the trio as Ty Lee went into telling Azula and Aziza how the Golden Phoenix was performed, and how during her time in the circus, which Aziza was completely thrilled about, she had never seen anyone perform it.

The Earth Queen flipped the newsletter over, running her hand over the lone picture on the page and droning out the voices. Her sensitive fingers ran over lettering that she didn't immediately recognize. Running her hand over it again, she concentrated on where she had seen similar characters. "Detia," she said, grabbing the girl's attention again as she set the page in front of her. "In the picture there's a man holding a piece of wood with carving on it. It's your people's language, right?" Before Detia could confirm, Toph continued. "What does it say?"

"Dr. Sara," Detia answered after a second of looking at the picture, again using her deadpan tone.

"That's it?" Toph questioned, it was an awful lot of characters to only say two small words.

"That's it," Detia confirmed.

The Earth Bender paused as she took the paper back. "Do you know who that is?"

Detia sighed again, searching her memory before answering. "Dr. Sara was a scientist for my kingdom who specialized in cryogenics. More specifically, Cryonics."

"Cryo-what?" Aziza interrupted, hearing the foreign word and unable to stop herself from asking.

"Cryonics," Detia repeated, running a hand through her hair. "It is the study of how extremely low temperatures could be used to preserve a human or animal. The technology was relatively new. Dr. Sara believed that a person could, in a way, cheat death with this technology. For example, let's say you come down with an illness that has no cure at the current time. Dr. Sara believed that we'd be able to put you in a suspended state until which time a cure was found. In theory it was a sound idea." By now the lightning bender had the attention of everyone in the room. "And it had a lot potential. However," Detia sighed, striking a harsh note as lightning struck the ground somewhere just outside the city borders, "it was highly experimental. Sara had not developed a way to reverse the effects, and I had to banish the technology from my kingdom."

"Why?" Aziza inquired.

Detia sighed, but it was Azula who answered, "Essentially, without a way to reverse it, the technique was killing people. I wouldn't want some kind of technology that killed my people."

"Oh," Aziza remarked.

"Besides," Detia started again. "I set her up somewhere in the Earth Kingdom near the ocean. Apparently, the tube used to freeze a person or animal gave off a lot of heat."

Toph scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Sure, set her up in my kingdom and don't even tell me about it. What the hell is up with Hishou Raikou withholding technology from the rest of us? You did it a lot."

Detia smirked, the only emotion besides being miserable that she showed all day. "You wouldn't know what to do with all the tech we had. Primitive people such as yours would only use my technology for war or something equally as stupid. Being the Balance, it was my job to make sure that didn't happen."

"So you kept it all for yourself."

Detia's smirk widened, "Naturally."

The Earth Queen ground her teeth together to stop from saying something inappropriate, ignoring Ty Lee's little giggle and Azula's grin. "Aziza!" Toph yelled, the girl in question stiffening considerably.

"Yes," she asked tentatively.

"You have ostrich-horses outside right?"

"Yes," Aziza answered.

"Good." Toph remarked. "Go get me a single hair from its tail."

"Okay…"

"Now!" Toph ordered, watching in satisfaction as the girl rushed out of the room.

Azula chuckled, "Ordering people around has benefited you I see."

Toph only smirked to agree. Aziza returned quickly, breathing heavily as she handed the Earth Queen the single hair. "What was that for?"

Toph didn't answer as she removed the space rock from her wrist. Taking the hair, Toph moved the rock around it, creating a black violin bow. She tossed it to the lightning bender, who caught it deftly. "Shut up and play." The Earth Queen remarked, mentally smiling when Detia's entire posture changed to a happier one.

With a lifted eyebrow, Detia examined the bow, pleased with its black color and smooth texture. Before placing the base of the violin to her neck the little girl pulled out a small vial of thick amber colored liquid. Opening the vial she placed the thick smooth liquid along the bow. "What is that?" Azula inquired.

"Rosin." Toph answered. "It's to keep the string from snapping. She probably made it hoping that she would get a violin. It was her favorite."

Detia only nodded to confirm as she lifted the violin to her neck and placed the bow against the strings. As if waiting the storm outside stilled, all was silent in anticipation. The instant the bow ran across the strings, the storm outside seemed to alter, matching rhythm with the tune, lighting the sky at just the right moment or creating the proper boom to match a long chord. Everyone in the room sat in silent awe as the symphony of nature continued.

Ursa, who was sitting silently watching her family (and Toph), gasped at the melody, easily the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. It tore into her soul, as if the song was made especially for her. From the expressions of everyone else, the melody had much the same effect on them as well.

~x~

The caves were surprisingly dry considering they were located under a lake, cold but dry. Well, that was once you got past the miles of water that clogged up the tunnels. They were easy enough to get to, the caves that is, what with Yuna's master water bending. The red flames of Angi's fire lit the tunnel, which barely contained walking space for two adults. So they were okay with space. "This remind you of anything?" Angi remarked with a suggestive smirk.

Yuna rolled her eyes, ignored her companion and traversed on. "Not now," The water bender remarked. "I think there's an opening up ahead."

Angi made a whimpering sound but took the lead, considering she was the light, and followed the tunnel to a vast cavern. "This place is huge," Angi stated as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Watch out for the-" Yuna tried to warn and sighed when the fire went out briefly as Angi tripped over a metal box.

"Fuck!" Angi cursed loudly, the word echoing in the cavern as light filled the room again, this time larger than the last.

"Well, we found the boxes," Yuna remarked dryly, moving to Angi and the large fire she created. "We should bring some back for Detia since she couldn't come."

"What the hell for?" the Fire Bender questioned. "That bitch shouldn't have listened to her parents and just came with us."

Again Yuna rolled her eyes. "Don't make fun of her because she's a good daughter."

"Whatever," Angi scoffed. "I don't know why you stopped me from fighting her this morning."

"Uh," Yuna started, thumping one of the metal boxes to see if she could judge what was in it. "Because she would have killed you. Duh."

Again the lightning bender scoffed. "I could have taken her."

"During a lightning storm? I think not," Yuna reasoned, moving to another metal box, surprised that there seemed to be so many. "You can't take her on a normal day with the sun high in the sky. What makes you think you can take her with the weather in her favor?"

Angi chuckled. "I'm awesome like that." Yuna chose to stop arguing. It was a pointless battle that would never end. "Besides, with her parents close by, what could she have done? She's so whipped."

The Fire bender laughed just as a large boom vibrated the cavern, a burst of white seeming to appear for an instant inside the cave, sending dust of rocks floating down and scaring both benders into silence. "I'd stop if I were you," Yuna warned.

Before Angi could remark with some snide comment or another, the earth under their feet began to shake. "What's going on?" Angi yelled, grabbing hold to the nearest box, the fire in her hands going out and sending the room into darkness.

"I don't know," Yuna answered back, also holding onto a box.

An eerily blue glow filled the cavern as freezing white clouds billowed onto the floor. The shaking stopped, but there was no need for Angi to turn the fire back on. Angi walked up to her partner. "What do you think it is?" she asked in wonder, too afraid – but not willing to admit it – to go towards the door that had just opened.

Yuna shook her head in the negative, grabbing Angi's hand and started towards the newly opened door. The door lead to a small room covered in large chunks of ice. It appeared that once the room had been larger but a rock wall, with less ice on it than all the other walls, blocked the rest of the room. They waited hand in hand until the air cleared before moving inside. With a flip of her hand, the ice from one section of the room evaporated, revealing metal boxes with screens on them. "Isn't that lightning bender technology?" Angi asked, recognizing the black screen and box design that apparently still worked seeing as it was flashing.

Yuna nodded as she let go of Angi's hand and moved over to the screen. The fire bender blew hot air onto her hands. It was cold even for her abnormally high body temperature. The light emitted from the hot air brought her attention to a long cylinder object against the wall, covered in ice. Shrugging, the fire bender walked over to the wall, using enough heat to melt the ice. Her red eyes widened at the sight of what she found. "Oh my," Yuna gasped, as she stopped pressing buttons on the screen. "This is…."

"Undine." Angi called with a smirk, drawing the water bender's attention to her. "You think Detia would be happy to see this?" she asked as she used her thumb to point to the object.

The water goddess looked at the object and gasped again after a second look. "I think she would. Especially if what I just found out is true."

Angi lifted an eyebrow and walked over to her companion. "What did you find?"

Yuna pointed to the screen and Angi's smirk grew. "Oh yes. I think this is something she would die to have."

"Indeed," Yuna replied with an expression to match. "The only problem now is getting it to her."

~x~

According to the captain of the airship, they would be arriving at their destination soon. Ezra was at the window looking down at the forest with Sunstone looking over her shoulder. They'd been in that exact spot the instant they got the news. She saw the village before anyone else and was as excited as she could get. It was true that it had only been a week since she had seen her best friend, but it felt like forever. The ship grew closer to the city, the people below close enough to see them gawking. Before the ship was low enough to officially make a landing, Sunstone ran to the door they would exit from, her claws making long jagged marks in the metal. "You want out?" The dragon's red eyes looked at the young princess as she made a whining noise. "I want to go too."

A long golden tail wrapped around Ezra's leg, and the dragon whined again. Ezra smiled just a little as she approached the latch on the door. Ignoring her mother's yell of protest Ezra pushed with all her might and the door swung open. The rush of air pulled her out of the ship and for a moment she was falling and for a moment she thought she might not survive. She jerked suddenly, hearing the tear of clothing as sharp claws tore through them. But the clothes held tight and her descent was smooth. The white among the green and brown caught her attention immediately. "Detia!" Ezra yelled, prompting her cousin to look up.

"Is that Ezra?" Azula's voice carried as the ex-princess shielded her eyes and looked up.

"Looks like it," Detia confirmed, holding out her hands and catching her favorite cousin as Sunstone dropped her.

Ezra clamped onto her best friend, not letting go. Detia smiled, out of the corner of her eye watching Sunstone curl around her mother and begin to purr – the dragon's horned head rubbing against Azula's cheek. "I missed you so much," Ezra stated.

Detia chuckled, "I was only gone a week."

"It was too long," the little princess came very close to whining.

"Where is everyone else?" Azula inquired.

Ezra shook her head, "Not here yet. I jumped out of the balloon before it landed."

Azula and Detia stood silent for a moment as what Ezra said sank in. Azula chuckled first. "Alright then. Let's go back to the inn. They can meet us there."

"What about my friends?" Detia inquired, though really she wasn't that worried about them.

Azula waved her hand dismissively, "They can take care of themselves," Her golden eyes turned to her niece, who had released Detia from her death grip but was holding her hand. "You really jumped out of the airship?"

Ezra nodded; her expression neutral. She was aware that her mother would probably be cross with her for doing it. But at the moment she couldn't make herself care. "Aunt Mai is not going to be happy that you did that," Detia stated what her cousin was thinking.

The little princess shrugged, gripping her best friend's hand tightly. "Whatever," Azula remarked. "If you ever do something like that, I'll expect you to land on your feet."

'Why? I can fly.' Detia thought only to her mother, though she sighed and nodded physically.

'What?' Azula thought back, slowing so she was beside her daughter and niece and staring at her daughter.

Detia smirked and answered, 'I'll tell you later.'

'You better.' Azula responded as threw the back doors to her mother's inn open. "We're back." she yelled.

"You found them already?" Ursa called from somewhere close by.

"Nope," Azula answered as her mother appeared from behind the corner and stopped at the sight of a little girl holding onto Detia. "We found something more important," Ursa smiled at how much the little girl reminded her of Mai. "This is Ezra, Zuko and Mai's youngest daughter."

The little girl glared at her aunt, somewhat. "We're the same age," Ezra remarked as close to crossly as her stoic emotions would allow her.

"I see," Ursa answered as she moved closer and knelt in front of the girl, noticing how her dull golden eyes held the same depth and apparent coldness that Azula's once had. She ignored it. "Hello, I'm Ursa, your grandmother."

Before Ezra could greet her grandmother another voice, happier in tone but the same pitch as Ezra's yelled, "I found them!" then a little girl, identical to Ezra but with a warmer feel, rushed through the back door. "I told you. Twin powers ru-" and ran right into Azula. The little girl looked up at Azula and blushed. "Hi, Aunt Azula."

"Hello, Ursa," Azula replied evenly and moved out of the girl's way.

"Ursa, if you don't stop running off, Mom and Dad are gonna get mad." An almost teenage boy remarked as he walked into the building. "Besides you can't just walk into buildings. Hi, Detia. You don't even know who lives here." He paused then turned to his cousin.

"Hello, Lu Ten," Detia answered, smirking at his slack-jawed look. "It seems you managed to grow a little since I've been gone."

He puffed out his chest as a smug expression crossed his face. "Yep. I'm becoming a man."

"Translation: I'm becoming an idiot," Ezra remarked deadpan, though it made little Ursa and Detia chuckle.

"How can he become something he's been his entire life?" The younger Ursa quipped.

For a second, Lu Ten looked indignant. Azula moved to stand beside her mother and watched as the children argued with each other. "Detia, defend me. You've known me the longest."

"I've always thought you were an idiot," Detia admitted easily.

"Are they always like this?" Ursa inquired, amused by the argument more than anything.

Azula shook her head in the negative. "They usually get along just fine. I think they are just making up for lost time."

Ursa nodded her understanding. "Regardless of how idiotic you are, there is someone here that you want to meet."

"Oh yeah, who?" Lu Ten questioned.

Detia sighed, 'Idiot,' She gestured to her grandmother. "This lovely woman is our Grandmother Ursa," Detia introduced. "Grandmother, this is Lu Ten and Ursa."

Lu Ten and Ursa looked at each other and bowed politely as they chorused, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"So formal," Ursa cooed gently, she already loved them – so much like her Zuko. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

Her golden eyes fell on Detia and Ezra. She easily saw Azula in both of them. Resound, she vowed to not make the same mistake twice. After all, she could easily admit to loving both Detia and Ezra as well. Detia smiled just slightly, letting Ursa know that she had been reading her thoughts. The older woman wasn't sure how she felt about that violation of her privacy. "You get used to it," Azula whispered, confusing her mother just slightly but didn't elaborate.

"Does this make me a junior?" The younger Ursa inquired cutely.

Lu Ten laughed as he answered. "No, it makes you a second. But we can call you Little Ursa."

Ursa scowled at her brother, she did not like that nickname at all. "Then can we call you Little Lu Ten. After all you're a second as well." Detia countered, stopping him from laughing and causing Ursa to laugh and Ezra to smile. "Or better yet, we can call you Lulu."

At this point Ursa was bent over in laughter and Ezra was chuckling. "I hate you." Lu Ten remarked deadpan. "Sometimes I just really, really hate you."

Putting on an air of gratitude, Detia faked sniffing noises but before she could reply with a witty, sarcastic remark about how honored she was to hear that, Azula intervened in a demanding tone. "That's enough."

The laughter stopped immediately, which pleased Azula greatly and there was silence for a moment. "Ezra," Lu Ten called, the seriousness in his tone informing everyone that he was not trying to be funny. "Just a warning. Mom is not happy with you. She was expressing it physically."

"What did you do?" the younger Ursa asked in amazement.

Before Ezra answered, a shadow loomed over them, and though it was in their imaginations, Ursa, Ezra, and Lu Ten felt the temperature in the room plummet. "She jumped out of the airship." The tone was cold and dripping with ice. Ezra gripped onto her cousin for protection. "Oh no, she cannot protect you," Mai, dressed in her dark red Fire Lady gown, pointed to the spot in front of her. "Here. Now." Slowly, the little girl who looked just like her mother wandered to the spot Mai was pointing at, her dull golden eyes looking up. "If you ever do anything that stupid and life threatening again, you will never, ever leave your room in the palace again. Never. Do you understand me?" Ezra nodded once, her eyes cast to the ground. "Good." The Fire Lady knelt and pulled her daughter into a hug. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"I won't," Ezra promised. "Sunstone probably won't leave Aunt Azula."

"Sunstone?" the older Ursa asked her daughter. She had noticed the golden dragon armor Azula walked in with, but she thought nothing of it. The dragon in question tilted her golden head and cawed, drawing Ursa's attention to her. The older woman looked twice before jumping. "By the spirits! It's real. I thought it was armor."

"No, she's a real dragon. Very young though." Azula answered, rubbing the bottom of Sunstone's jaw.

Hesitantly, the older Ursa drew a hand near the dragon, looking up at her daughter as if asking permission. Sunstone took the initiative and rubbed her head against the outstretched hand. Ursa smiled at the smooth texture of scaly skin and silky strands of golden hair. "Lady Ursa," Mai called lightly, her hands still holding her youngest daughter close to her.

Ursa smiled as her expression turned to Mai. Far from the shy little girl she remembered, the Fire Lady stood tall and proud – if not a bit emotionless. But that wasn't something Ursa didn't expect. Mai had never been a person who showed many of her emotions. "Mai. Or should I say, Fire Lady Mai."

Mai smiled lightly as she bowed. "It's been a long time, good to see you are well. I see you've met my children."

Ursa smiled at the three children she met that day. "Yes, they are beautiful."

Mai's smile softened, her hand placed on Ezra's head. "Why don't you children go explore the village? Your father will be here soon and I'm sure he'd like to spend some time with Lady Ursa."

They nodded and immediately surrounded Detia. "Show us around town." Lu Ten and Ursa chorused as Ezra grabbed Detia's arm.

The lightning bender sighed in resignation and nodded, allowing her cousins to drag her out the door. "Hi dad." Lu Ten and Ursa yelled as they passed their father, who was entering the inn as they exited.

"Where are the children going?" Zuko inquired his hands in his sleeves as his eyes followed the children.

"To explore the city." Mai answered.

Zuko looked up at his wife, his gaze going directly to the woman standing behind her. He froze. After so many years, he was finally seeing his mother. The two stared at each other, not saying a word, not knowing what to say. No one else mattered. Azula rolled her eyes at the sappiness, but Zuko had always been that way. The ex-princess examined her brother closely. There was something off about him. He looked tired and worn, well more so than usual. Silently, she mentioned it to Mai and the ex-assassin answered in covert taps on the wood that he hadn't been sleeping well. Azula smirked, knowing that her brother was torn by what he had done made her more than a little happy.

The eye contact between Zuko and Ursa, and Azula's thoughts, were broken when Zuko was shoved out of the way. Suddenly, a face that looked exactly like her own was in Azula's face. "Big Sis!" Aziza yelled, throwing her arms in the air and everything.

"I'm right here you don't have to yell," Azula scolded. "And what have I told you about calling me that?"

For her part Aziza completely ignored her. "I was in town with Toph. She got a message from her people by the way, they'll be here by night's end. Anyways, I was with Toph in town and then this huge red balloon..."

"An Airship," Azula supplied.

"Yeah whatever, this balloon was above the city. Do you think it belongs to Zuko?"

Azula smirked. "You know, Aziza, I think you might be on to something." She placed her hands on her sister's shoulders and turned her sister around to face Zuko as he stood straight. "Aziza, this is our big brother, Zuko and his wife, Mai." She turned Aziza to face Mai before turning her back to Zuko. "Zuko, Mai this is our little sister, Aziza."

Zuko stared at the fifteen-year-old who looked so much like Azula wearily. He had hoped to find his mother but not another sister. At first glance, the only thing he saw was another Azula. But then she blushed lightly and cast her eyes to the ground, shyly looking back up at him. Azula threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes. "What is this?" Azula remarked. "You make it your mission to get on my nerves every chance you get, but when you finally meet your 'big brother,' you're all shy. What the hell?"

"Aww." Aziza cooed, an evil glint appearing in her golden eyes as she turned to her sister. Azula had crossed her arms but that didn't stop Aziza from throwing her arms around Azula and rubbing her cheek against her sisters'. "That's because I like Big Sis best."

"Whatever," Azula replied, unable to see Mai and Zuko (and her mother but she didn't mind her mother) smiling. But she could feel it, and it made her mad.

"So," Aziza whispered. "Do you think he'd mind if I asked questions, you know, about him?"

Azula smirked, remembering exactly how up in your face Aziza was when asking questions. "I don't think so," Azula whispered back.

In an instant, just as Azula predicted, Aziza was up in Zuko's face, mere inches away. "What happened to your face? How did you get the scar? Does it still hurt?"

"Uh…"

"Can I touch it?"

"Aziza," Ursa scolded, making the girl tense. "Come over here and be nice."

Aziza pouted and moved back to her sister's side, "Fine."

Ursa smiled and hugged her son. "Zuko," she said as he hugged her back. "My baby boy." She kissed his cheek as her hand caressed his scar. "It's been so long." She didn't ask about it, though. That would come later, this was a happy moment.

"I feel…weird," Aziza admitted as she watched them. "Like I'm being left out."

"Get used to it," Azula answered.

Ursa released her son immediately upon hearing this. At least, Aziza was forth coming with her feelings, and she wondered how often Azula, who was not forthcoming with her feelings, felt the same growing up. "Well, let's move to the living area so we can catch up."

"Yes, let's," Zuko agreed.

~x~

"Hey, I found you guys," Toph said as she entered the living area. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Aziza answered while sipping her drink, "Just the tension between Azula and Zuko. Nothing important."

Toph smirked and sat down on a couch. "Good to know. I'm guessing the loud mouth over here," She gestured to Aziza, "told you about the message I received."

"Hey!"

"Yes, she informed me," Azula answered.

"Excellent. Is bubbles still asleep? It's almost noon."

Azula nodded. "She was up late last night."

"Damn," Toph remarked. "You two need to slow it down. You're not teenagers."

She couldn't see it, but she felt the cold death glare directed towards her from Azula as Aziza, Mai and Zuko chuckled. The chuckling stopped when Azula smirked. "I think you might be a little jealous, Toph. After all, you're how old? Two years younger than me, correct?" Toph didn't respond. "And you have no one. Frankly, you're well past the prime age of marriage."

"Azula, if you don't shut up, I might seriously attack you, regardless of what Detia would do to me if I did," Toph warned.

"You were asking for it," Azula remarked, unfazed.

Toph only grumbled, because it was true. "So Toph," Zuko started. "Now that Azula's your problem, what will you have her doing?"

The Earth Queen perked up. "Come now, Zuko. Azula may be the biggest bitch in the world ,and I mean that in the nicest way possible," Azula didn't comment but she didn't seem offended, "but she's also the best diplomat in the world. Benefits of being a lightning bender, I guess. They were always the best. Of course, being a bitch probably helps as well."

"Wait, so you're making her your advisor?" Zuko questioned.

"Head advisor if she wants it," Toph corrected. "I just assumed she would. I figured we'd work out all the kinks once we get back to Ba Sing Se."

"What will the people of the Earth Kingdom think?" Mai inquired.

"Uh…" Toph began, she actually hadn't considered what her people would think.

"We'll play it off as some kind of victory for the Earth Kingdom," Azula supplied evenly. "I'm sure the Earth Kingdom wanted me for themselves during my trial."

"See, genius," Toph approved.

Ursa frowned, there was a lot in that sentence that she did not understand. "What trial?"

Azula looked at her mother, unsure if she actually wanted to tell her about her trial. Because that would open the can of worms, and she wasn't sure if she wanted her mother to know about that part of her life. At least, not yet. Zuko hummed, drawing her attention to him. She could almost see the gears in his head working. What he was thinking though she could only guess. Azula knew, just as Zuko did, that she had been a detrimental part in the revival of the Fire Nation after the war. She was a diplomat – and just egotistical enough to believe she was the best in the world – and without her the people of the Fire Nation would not have survived the retribution the other nations wanted after the war. She wondered if he realized exactly what he was losing when he pulled that stunt.

These thoughts ran through her mind in three seconds tops, and she turned back to her mother. "Hey is Detia in here with you?" the smooth, deep female voice resonating with power asked as a tall woman entered the room, setting down a heavy metal box as she did so. Everyone, aside from Toph and Azula, stared at the toned woman in a red and black top with a thick, cloth black belt that held a long red loin cloth in place and long legs covered in black tights standing there. "What?"

"Your hair is on fire," Azula remarked as if stating the sky was blue.

The tanned woman ran a hand through her flame red hair. "Didn't bother changing it," she stated as she sat down next to Toph.

"Everyone this is…" Azula paused, looking for permission from the god in adult form

"Go ahead and tell them," the woman waved off, leaning back against the coach as if she was exhausted.

"This is the God…dess of Fire, Agni," Azula finished, everyone who didn't know gasped. "Where have you been? Detia was worried."

A red eyebrow lifted. "What the hell for?"

"I don't know," Azula answered honestly.

Agni grunted and crossed her arms. "Undine and I found some things we wanted to bring back to Detia because she couldn't come with us. Unfortunately, Lightning Bender technology is far too complicated for either of us to figure out, so we need Detia to fix it. I'll just wait here for her, don't mind me." Her red eyes closed as she leaned her head back against the back of the couch.

Zuko looked at his sister, then back at the seemingly napping goddess. "That's the…" he whispered. "How do you know…."

Azula looked at her brother hard. "I've met Agni before, about two years ago. He was male at the time and started a fight with Toph. That's how I got these scars on my back."

"Your kid punished me for that," Agni pointed out, her eyes still closed.

"I'm aware," Azula remarked as if she didn't care. "Anyways, she's Detia's friend now."

"I don't know how I feel about you leaving the Fire Nation with all these connections." Zuko remarked deadpan.

Azula smirked. "Never one for tact, were you Zuzu?"

The Fire Lord sighed. "Look, I know what I did was wrong. You should come back home with mom. You don't have to leave."

The ex-princess only looked at her brother. She knew his motivation, it was easy enough to read. But she did want to spend more time with her mother. Things were going so well for them. Then again, she couldn't trust her brother not to make the same mistake. After ten years of peace and only a slightly strained relationship, he didn't trust her. How could she live there? "No," she said, glancing at her mother and hoping that she could forgive her. "I'm not moving back."

"The Fire Nation is where you belong, Azula. It's your home." Zuko tried.

"How can I go back after what you did to me? How can I expect you not to try to control me? Why would I put my daughter through that? Despite how she undermines me, Toph respects the person I am. And I'm not going to change." She paused to let that sink into his thick head. "What kind of honor would I have if I returned?"

Everyone was silent. Aziza and Ursa were innocent bystanders who weren't quite sure what was going on. "Challenge me to an Agni-Kai!" Zuko offered as a solution. "You can get your status and honor back."

Azula rolled her eyes, it was like talking to a brick wall with him and she was seriously fed up with it. So, she hit him where she knew it would hurt. "I can't participate in an Agni-Kai anymore, Zuko. I can't fire bend. You took that from me!"

His golden eyes widened in surprise. "What? But the ritual wasn't complete. You should have been fine."

"Well I wasn't," Azula growled, her nails digging into the wooden table.

"How is that even possible?" Aziza interrupted, this was all new to her.

Agni answered the question, "It's called soul bending and..."

"It doesn't matter! That's in the past. I'm still the Fire Lord, and you're still a member of my Nation." He stood, his bulky form hovering over his sister. She was unfazed. "I forbid you to go."

"Zuko!" Zuko froze at his mother's voice. "She is your sister, not your subordinate or your subject. And no matter if you banished her or whatever happened she will always be your sister, your equal. You will not talk to her like that. Do I make myself clear?" he nodded dejectedly, as if he was a little boy being scolded. "Honestly, you're acting just like your father."

Agni smirked and because she did not like to be interrupted said, "Oooo, burn."

Zuko stood there, as if he had been punched in the gut. "I'm…I'm not…"

Ursa stood and took her son into her arms. "I don't know what kind of lapse in judgment you made towards your sister, but you cannot treat her like that. You seem stressed. Maybe you should let someone else take over your position for a while so you can relax."

Zuko sighed in defeat. It was a good idea. From the start, he felt overwhelmed at being Fire Lord. His father made it look so easy. And when Azula was finally deemed mentally stable, he had been so relieved. To himself, he admitted that he was jealous of how easy Azula made the job look. She could easily take over for him and he looked at her. The ex-princess looked back, reading his expression like an open book. "Why don't you ask the original ruler of the Fire Nation?" Ursa inquired, looking over to the god lounging on the couch.

"And creator." Agni put in, still not opening her eyes.

Zuko's eyes lit up, the last thing he really wanted to do was admit defeat to his sister. "Would you be willing to become Fire Lord until I feel more up to it?"

One red eye opened to examine the man. "I suppose we could work something out." Agni answered with a smirk. "I'd have to discuss it with my mate but we'll see."

Zuko smiled. "Thank you."

TBC!

A/N: Something funny: Chapters 16, 17, 18, and 19 were all suppose to be one chapter. Also, I totally stole the technique the Golden Phoenix from Kaleido Star.


	25. Chapter 25

Of Fire

Chapter 25

The living area had been quiet for a while now. The light murmur of hushed voices was the only thing breaking the quiet. Zuko and Agni had worked out an arrangement over the leadership of their nation. That conversation had been anything but quiet. Zuko wanted his country ran a certain way and that certain way did not settle well with Agni, who had no problem telling him as much. Once they stopped yelling at each other, and the wooden table wasn't on fire, the arrangements came quickly. Azula, being the true diplomat that she was, helped arrange everything, which was why it ended quickly. Agni would only be Fire Lord until Zuko felt he was ready to take the position over again, and in case he didn't, his children would still be heir to the throne.

Ty Lee had woken and made her way to the room about ten minutes after the arrangements were set in stone. The acrobat sleepily sat in Azula's lap until she realized that Zuko and Mai were in the room. When she did, she jumped up and hugged them both. For a while, she chatted animatedly about what had happened to them in the past week, stopping every so often when one asked a question, like about the violin. Ty Lee and Mai were still talking quietly to one another and Agni was still talking with Zuko about the who's-who of Fire Nation society and their personalities, which Azula and occasionally Ursa would chime in on, and Aziza just listened to. Toph had drifted to sleep on the couch, her bare feet propped up against the arm rest.

"Agni!" an irritated voice yelled from somewhere in the inn, breaking the quiet like a tsunami and waking Toph from her sleep with a jolt.

"And there's my mate," Angi responded with a laugh, not the least bit worried about the wrath of the water bender. "In here!" she yelled back.

Not seconds later, the ten-year-old form of the water goddess entered the room looking irritated. "What the hell is taking you so long? Where's Detia?"

'Right here, why?' Detia answered from behind her friend – her cousins filing in after she entered – her golden eyes focused instantly on the flaming red hair. 'Why are you in adult form?'

"Can't I be in whatever form I want?" Agni asked as if offended, a long hand pressing against her chest.

A white eyebrow lifted. 'You can be in whatever form you choose. I was just wondering why?'

Agni snorted, "Yuna wanted me to bring this box back for you to open." She gestured mildly to the metal box still sitting on the floor. "I wasn't going to carry it all the way here as a child. That would have looked weird."

Detia's golden eyes turned to the lone metal box in the room. It didn't look anything like the one Thunder's egg was in. It was just a metal box with four smooth sides and a smooth top and bottom. 'What's in it?' the lightning bender asked, looking from the box to Agni.

The fire god shrugged, and when she did, Detia turned to Toph. "Looks like another box," Toph answered the unasked question.

Detia sighed; at this point, everyone was looking at either the box or Detia. "This box isn't going to explode or whatever like the last one did?" Lu Ten inquired, moving to stand so that his father was between him and the box.

'I don't know,' Detia answered honestly, watching with amusement as Lu Ten and Ursa hid behind their father.

"Let's find out," Toph remarked, digging her hands into the metal top like it was sand and easily removing it.

The box kept its integrity and nothing happened. "At least nothing happened," Mai pointed out as if she didn't expect something to happen.

Detia nodded as the Earth Queen pulled out the smaller metal box. This one had a large heavy duty lock on it. Toph placed the lock in her hand and looked at Detia. "Do you want me to break it?"

Detia shook her head in the negative and pulled a hair pin out of her hair as she approached the lock. She took the lock from Toph, stuck the pin in, and wiggled it around a little. At least, that's what it looked like she was doing. Concentrating to enhance her hearing, Detia listened for the tell-tale signs of the lock clicking in place. It took her seconds and she put the lock on the floor. "Where did you learn that?" Aziza asked, her tone clearly telling everyone how impressed she was.

Detia only looked at her mommy and everyone's gaze followed. Ty Lee shrugged, "What? It's good to know. You never know when you might need it."

Aziza and the other children, excluding Ezra and Yuna, giggled. The adults just stared in a mixture of that's what they expected and awe. While they were looking at Ty Lee, Detia took the first item out of the locked box. It was a book, a worn brown thick leather book. "What's that?" Ezra asked, kneeling beside her best friend.

"I don't know." Carefully, because the leather straps on the book were old and near falling apart, Detia untied the straps and set them down gently beside her. Opening the book, the first thing she saw was a date, a very old date. If her memory served her correctly, the date would be just after the War of the Gods ended. The first sentence supported her theory, stating that the gods had vanished. "It's a diary."

"Whose?" Agni asked at the same time she snatched the delicate item from the lightning bender, sending loose pages and faded images scattering along the floor. "My bad," the Fire goddess remarked as if she was bored and didn't mean it at all.

Detia glared at her friend as whoever the pictures and pages landed near helped her pick them up. Most of the images were too faded to truly see. One laminated image and a folded piece of paper fell just inches from Ty Lee and she picked them up. Air caught in her lungs at the laminated image. Instantly, Azula turned to her wife, curious at what had her breathless. Without being asked, Ty Lee handed Azula the image. Ursa, looking over her oldest daughter's shoulder, gasped. "That's beautiful."

Azula smirked and nodded, "Ty Lee looked better in it."

"What?" Zuko inquired, to which Azula showed him the picture. "Isn't that the uchikake Ty Lee wore for your wedding?"

Azula nodded again, smiling at her wife before she continued to examine the young yellow haired woman in the image. While the image was faded and clearly very old, the woman in the picture was clear, her grey eyes shining and her smile wide. She looked very similar to Ty Lee, especially since they were wearing very similar wedding outfits. "Who is this?" Azula inquired, showing the picture to her daughter.

Detia looked at it briefly before answering, 'That's Alia.' Her eyes went briefly to the still folded paper in her mommy's hand. 'That's also Alia.'

"How do you know?" Ty Lee asked, unfolding the paper in her hands.

'I've seen it before,' Detia answered. 'It's a flyer for when she was in the circus. According to the family records, an artist was so amazed by the golden phoenix he painted the image on the flyer. It was spread all throughout the world.'

With an abundance of excitement, the acrobat unfolded the fragile flyer. The golden phoenix had been something of a forbidden art while she was in the circus. Apparently, before she joined, a young performer died while attempting it, and the ring master forbid anyone else from trying. No one would even talk about it. Ty Lee sighed in disappointment when she opened the piece of paper and the picture was far to faded to see. Detia read her mommy's expression when the faded image was passed back to her. The lightning bender almost told her mommy that the near perfect original painting hung in a vault deep within the Fire Sage's temple in the heart of the capital, kept safe and hidden and forgotten. She almost told her about the diagram that detailed every step to perform the golden phoenix perfectly and the diary Alia wrote in every day till her early death. But that was a few conversations she did not want to have, so she remained silent.

"Who wrote the diary?" Ty Lee asked, turning to the goddess of Fire, who instead of helping pick up loose pieces of paper was reading the book.

Carelessly, Agni tossed the book in Detia's general direction, making the lightning bender jump to catch it. "It looks like Linka's. What else is in the box?"

A cold, firm hand on her shoulder was the only thing stopping Detia from attacking the fire bender. Delicately, Detia set the item – so much more precious than before – beside her and away from untrustworthy people, a pointed glare at the fire bender. Reaching into the box, her hands came into contact with a round disk shaped object, identical to the one that was with Thunder's egg. Except this one was still in working order. "Hey, that looks just like that thing that was with Thunder." Lu Ten voiced what she was thinking. "Are you going to shock it?"

"No," Detia answered as she flipped the device over, noting the small item placed inside it. "It's already charged."

"Oh." Lu Ten almost sounded disappointed.

Detia ignored him and placed the object on the table, sitting in Azula's lap – without asking – to get better access to it and carefully placing the journal on the table in her line of sight. Azula adjusted her daughter's weight but didn't say anything as the little goddess pushed at the metal object. Everyone moved closer, except Toph who couldn't see so moving closer would have been moot, as a beam of light shot out of the device. Zuko stood to give his wife his chair, and once Mai sat at the table, both her daughter's moved to sit in her lap. Lu Ten stood by his father, watching in fascination. Ty Lee moved to sit on the arm of the chair her wife and daughter sat in, noticing as Yuna did the same with Agni – though Agni quickly pulled the water bender into her lap.

Without asking if everyone was settled, Detia pushed another seamless button and two young golden eyes took up the screen. "Is it on?" a young female voice inquired in a whisper.

The golden eyes moved away, revealing two female children, one noticeably younger than the other. The girl with the golden eyes, the older of the two, brushed the bangs of her white hair out of her face, tucking the wayward strands behind the golden circlet around her head. "It should be working," the older girl stated confidently as she proceeded to brush dirt and leaves from her white outfit, two thin, wide strands of silk hovering behind her.

"Are you sure?" the younger girl questioned, her long honey-colored hair done up perfectly in a large silver cuff, scarred with gold lightning bolts. "The last time you did this you blew it up."

The older girl glared and pushed the younger girl on the shoulder, the transparent silk circling around the younger girl's shoulders creasing. "I know what I'm doing. I'm the eldest."

The younger girl took offense to being pushed and used both hands to push the older girl back. "Like that matters. You're nothing but a sister. And an annoying one at that."

"Who are they?" Azula inquired, though she assumed the girl with the white hair was a younger version of Linka.

Detia pointed to the girl with white hair – as said girl shoved the younger one to the ground – and confirmed her mother's assumption. "That's Linka. The younger girl is Maya."

Maya stood quickly and rushed her sister, sending them both tumbling to the ground and out of view of the recording device. With them out of the way a different littler girl was revealed standing upside down in a wobbly handstand, her pale yellow hair falling from her pigtails. "That's Alia," Detia answered before anyone could ask.

Alia fell to her side, sitting up quickly and smiling widely as a white kitten with spiky white fur and a bushy tail rushed to her. "What's that?" the younger Ursa inquired, pointing to the kitten as Alia stood and allowed the kitten to walk across her outstretched arm to flop down on her head.

Alia laughed as the device caught her attention, and she began walking towards it. "A cat," Detia answered.

"An owl-cat?" Ursa asked.

"No," Detia reaffirmed, watching as Alia's small hand pulled the device down just a little so that the cat's black nose could sniff it and her large, innocent grey eyes filled the image.

"A pigeon-cat?" Ezra intoned, and Detia shook her head in the negative.

"Surely, you mean a porcupine-cat?" Lu Ten replied.

"No, it was just a cat," Detia repeated, strongly.

Lu Ten crossed his arms and shook his head. "That place is weird."

"No weirder than a bear," Toph remarked causally, making Azula and Mai smile and Ty Lee giggled, but confusing everyone else.

"I liked that bear," Ty Lee stated happily.

Everyone's attention was turned back to the device when a strict voice yelled, "What is going on around here? What have you two done to my garden?"

"Momma!" Alia yelled and rushed over the charred, still-smoking ground to a tall white-haired woman standing just beyond where the garden started.

Before the woman was in the picture long enough to examine, the image went blank. "That was it?" Lu Ten remarked, clearly unimpressed.

"You're mother's going to kill you," a new, much older, female voice interrupted, the screen still blank.

"She's not going to kill me." Another female voice, this one distinctively belonging to Linka. "First of all, she's gone just like the rest of them, and secondly, do you think my mother would want to see a video of me and Maya getting in trouble or one of Alia doing some stupid circus trick?" the fuzziness of the image spiked then cleared. "See it's working, now."

An image of Linka, just as most of the people in the room thought it was, appeared – much older than before and wearing Earth Kingdom greens instead of her normal white, though the metal silk still wrapped around her body. "That's the last one of those we have, you know," the other woman stated from somewhere off to the side.

"I'm aware," Linka remarked as if she didn't see the point.

The woman sighed, "A lot of good any memory stick would do if you broke the last recording device we have."

Linka's golden eyes rolled as the image moved, revealing their location to be outside near a large circus tent. "We should find my sister."

"You know," the woman replied as they started walking, "I'm surprised you're not angrier at your mother."

"Why on earth would I be angry?" Linka inquired, her tone telling that this line of questioning was getting dull quickly.

"Oh, I don't know." the woman stated, a whiff of golden blond hair coming into view of the camera. "She left."

Linka chuckled, "What would she have done? Lead all twenty of us into extinction?" the woman must have made a surprised gesture. "There's no getting around it, Sara. Our race, our way of life, is gone. You know as well as I do that our genes are recessive, and even if they weren't, the only ones to retain even a little of them would be the Fire Kingdom's royal family. On top of that, most of our technology is lost, excluding whatever my mother set you up with. The animals that were distinctly ours, like the peacock-lion and Thunder bird, are extinct. Besides all of that, my mother lost more than just her people that day. If I had been in her shoes, I'd have done the same thing."

"I'm assuming she's talking to Doctor Sara," Azula asked and Detia nodded.

"That sounded like a secret." Sara noted in a sing-song voice. "What else did she lose?"

Linka didn't answer. Instead she stated, "There's my sister."

In the distance, not too far away, sat a young woman in a simple top and shorts, her shoulder length pale blond hair tied up in a loose pony tail. She was sitting on her forearms with her feet resting on her shoulders. "Fine, change the subject." Sara deadpanned. "What is she doing? That looks…wrong."

Linka shrugged. "She's always been like that." She paused as the device was handed to another, presumably Sara. "Alia!" the lightning bender yelled, and the younger blonde's head snapped up.

The youngest princess jumped up from her stretch and ran to her sister, embracing her tightly. "Linka!" she let go a little. "We've been wondering where you ran off too. Did you come to see me perform?" Before Linka could answer, the acrobat turned her attention to the woman beside her sister. "Who's this? You're girlfriend?" She sing-songed. Linka didn't answer, which meant yes to her sister. "For real!" She let her sister go, her expression matching her disbelieving tone. The younger blond took Sara's hands into her own, bringing Dr. Sara into the image for the first time. "You managed to tame the Blazing White Warrior? The woman who vowed to only have relations with the person who could defeat her? How in the universe did you manage to do that?"

Sara's light golden eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses, turned to Linka (and the camera). A dark blond eyebrow lifted in inquiry, though it was barely seen behind her bangs. "They were just rumors. I told some soldier that to make him leave me alone," Linka explained then turned to her sister. "We really don't have to go into my humiliating defeat at the hands of a half-crazed scientist."

Alia smirked. "Oh, I think we do." Her hands moved from Sara's hands to around Sara's shoulders. "You and I, we're going to be good friends. I can tell these things." With little effort, the acrobat turned herself and Sara away from Linka. "We have the best popcorn here."

"Popcorn!" Sara exclaimed. "I've missed popcorn."

"Popcorn?" Lu Ten questioned.

Detia sighed and answered, "Corn was one of our main exports. So, we had a lot of snack foods for it."

Her explanation interrupted Alia telling Linka to turn the recording device off because she wouldn't be performing for another hour or so. And almost cost her the sentence Linka said before she turned off the device. "You eat snack food all the time, Sara. Won't that be bad for our baby?"

The instant the word baby left Linka's mouth Detia pushed a button on the device, stopping it before the image could fade. She would have been a grandmother, sure she knew Alia and Maya had children. But Linka? If Linka had children where was her blood line now? There was no one in this village with lightning bender blood, Ursa and Aziza excluded of course. So where did her missing grandchild go?

"Was it normal for two women to have children in your kingdom?" Mai asked, giving the distraction Detia needed.

The little goddess' golden eyes turned to her aunt. "It wasn't uncommon," Detia answered. "The ratio to homosexual versus heterosexual couples was about one in ten, which was more than all the other nations excluding the Water Nation, where the ratio was about 50/50. In fact, the ability for two women to have a child that is biologically both theirs is Water Nation technology."

"Yeah, the bastards in the Northern water tribe destroyed most of that technology at the end of the war." Yuna remarked grumpily, crossing her arms and frowning.

"Does this technique involved alcohol?" Azula asked suspiciously.

Yuna smirked but answered, "It sure doesn't. The alcohol I gave you was a gift for your wedding. It's not my fault you waited a year and blacked out after drinking it, light weights. I told you to drink it that night."

"Oh shit," Agni remarked with a laugh. "You waited a year before drinking that? I bet you two were fucked up. Do you even remember what happened that night?"

Ty Lee's face turned bright red and Azula trained her expression to remain neutral. "Regardless of that, how is it possible for two women to have a child?" The older Ursa inquired, only wanting to know. After all, she loved her oldest granddaughter.

"It has to do with genetics," Yuna remarked, leaning back against Agni's chest. "It's complicated. In layman's terms you take DNA from the two parties and combine them. There's a lot of work involved between then and when the fertilized egg is placed back into the 'carrier' mother." Yuna sighed. "We had it down to an art when the men rebelled and destroyed most everything on the other parts of my nation. Since then, we've been able to recover most of it though." The master water bender smiled. "Ironically, because Arjuna is a lightning bender all I had to do was place both of your DNA into the carrier, that's you Ty Lee, and she did the rest."

"If you haven't noticed," Agni pointed out. "We've been planning this since you made that contract with her when you were three." The Fire goddess smirked.

"It wasn't a contract," Detia denied vehemently.

"Whatever," Agni dismissed easily. "And while all of that is super interesting," the sarcasm in her tone was not lost any one person in the room, "I'd like to change the subject." She turned to the little lightning bender. "Arjuna, what secret did you hide from us the day your kingdom fell?"

"No offense." Lu Ten interrupted. "But who are you two and who's Arjuna?"

Zuko answered before Agni could. "This is Agni, the god of fire." Zuko introduced, all three of his children gasped. Agni just smirked.

"Stop it," Detia demanded. "You'll give her a big head."

"It's far too late for that," Yuna remarked casually.

Agni laughed lightly at the comment but didn't deny it. "Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm going to be Fire Lord again."

Detia sat there in stunned silence for a good minute until her golden eyes turned to her Uncle, clearly telling him with her eyes how dumb an idea she thought that was. "It's complicated," he explained.

The lightning goddess rolled her eyes then turned back to her cousins. "This is Undine," she introduced the other goddess in the room, who bowed her head slightly. "She's the goddess of water." Lu Ten and Ursa nodded, still clearly amazed. Ezra appeared uncaring, but there was just a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "These are my friends," Detia elaborated, and noticed the crease in Ezra's brow as she put two and two together quicker than her brother and sister.

"So, who's Arjuna?" Lu Ten asked, and Ezra literally slapped her forehead, glaring at her brother.

"Seriously?" Ezra almost growled. "Isn't it obvious?" Lu Ten didn't answer, but he did look highly offended as he crossed his arms over his chest. She sighed slightly, "Alright, let's think about this for a minute. We all know that the adults believe a certain cousin of ours is a goddess. Now here's the tricky part." The sarcasm laced into her tone impressing her aunt and mother. "If these two," she gestured to Agni and Undine, "are goddesses and one of them says, 'Arjuna what secret do you have?' Who do you think they were talking to?"

His eyebrow lifted as he thought for a minute. When the answer came to him his entire expression lightened. "Detia? She was talking to Detia." He exclaimed as if he had solved the hardest puzzle in the world.

"Wow," Ezra remarked deadpan, making her sister giggle, as she turned to her mother and not so quietly whispered, "I think you should hold him back a grade."

"Hey," Lu Ten remarked indignantly.

"Be nice," Mai scolded lightly, but was proud that her youngest daughter showed some kind of emotion.

"I like her," Agni stated, very impressed. Then turned back to the lightning bender. "Well, now that that's all settled, Arjuna…"

"My name is Detia. I'd prefer if you called me by it."

"Whatever," The fire goddess dismissed. "I want to know what secret you withheld."

The lightning bender rolled her eyes and glared lightly at her friend. 'First of all, if I did have some sort of secret, of all the people in the world I would tell you would not be one of them.' Agni pretended to be offended, but really wasn't expecting anything else. She was really bad at keeping secrets. 'Secondly, I don't know what she was talking about. You know how memories work.'

The Fire goddess humphed and turned to Toph. "Terren, do you know?" Toph remained silent. "Is that a yes, Terren?" When Toph did not answer a second time Detia examined the earth queen.

Toph was not asleep, even though her eyes were closed and she was lying on the couch. She was just ignoring Agni. "Toph do you know?" Undine inquired because really she'd like to know this secret as well.

"Not a clue," Toph answered evenly, almost able to feel the heat coming from the Fire Bending Goddess. "Arjuna didn't tell me everything, ya know. In fact on that day she asked me to join her, she said she had something important to tell me. The kingdom was attacked before I could get there."

Toph sat up, as the images of her past life flashed past her eyes. Seeing the white of Arjuna's attire dyed red with her own blood and the entirety of eye white with rage had scared Terren. Terren had never seen the goddess of Lightning so angry or hurt. Before that moment, Terren couldn't even remember seeing her cry. But tears were streaming from her eyes as one of her hands pressed against her stomach and the cry of lightning deafened the sound of her dying people. Toph was sure whatever the secret was, if there even was one, it was something of great importance and even if she knew, she wouldn't tell anyone. Toph agreed with Linka in that regard. When Detia remembered whatever it was Arjuna kept secret, Detia would be the one tell them and no one else.

The Earth Queen sighed as her sight focused on the little girl sitting in Azula's lap. "Didn't you want Detia for something, Undine?" Toph reminded, moving to lie back on the couch.

"That is correct." Yuna confirmed. "Are you finished with that?"

Detia looked at the device then up at her mommy and said, 'If you push this button, it should continue to play. I assume that Alia will be performing the Golden Phoenix.'

The lightning bender smiled as Ty Lee's eyes widened and her aura brightened considerably. "Really!"

Detia nodded as she slipped from Azula's lap, taking the book with her. She looked at her mother and handed her the book, "Keep this safe," she said verbally as Azula took the book and Ty Lee took Detia's place.

The move from the arm of the chair to Azula's lap was sudden, and the sudden weight took the air from the ex-princess' lungs. "Ty Lee," Azula scolded lightly. "You could have warned me."

The acrobat shrugged it off as she pushed the button her daughter told her to push. 'I'm ready,' Detia remarked, smiling at her parents' behavior.

"Actually, Detia." Zuko interrupted before Undine could slip from Agni's lap. "I'd like to talk to you in private."

Detia's golden eyes hardened as she turned to her uncle, and he had to restrain himself from gulping. He was about to say please when Detia walked out of the room all alone, motioning for him to follow. When they were fairly alone, Detia crossed her arms and turned to her uncle. "What do you want?" she asked, knowing full well that it was rude but unable to make herself care at the moment.

"It's about Ezra," he said and relaxed when Detia's brilliant golden eyes softened.

"What about her?" Detia inquired, running through her memory to see if she could remember anything off about her favorite cousin. "If this is about the fact that she's not very happy with you, I can't do anything to help. I'm in the same boat, after all."

Zuko put his hands up in defense. "I understand; I really do." She didn't look like she believed him. "I'm worried about her. Besides you, I don't think she has any friends." He sighed. "She also admitted that she often wishes that Lu Ten and Ursa would disappear."

A white eyebrow lifted as she read between the lines. He was afraid Ezra would become like Azula. She wondered if he realized that's what he was afraid of and decided to see if he would admit it. "If you're worried that she will have no friends, enroll her into the Earth Kingdom academy and let her stay with Uncle Iroh," she offered as a solution, even though she knew that Ezra had other friends at school and would not like to be transferred to the Earth Kingdom and so far away from her mother. Zuko looked as if that was a valid solution and Detia sighed. "You'd have to talk to her about it first, Uncle. Transferring her without her permission would only make her hate you more."

"Of course," he stated, as if he was thinking of doing just that.

Before he could say anymore she asked, "Are you saying that you never even once wished that my Mother would simply vanish into nothingness?" He didn't answer. "What is it that you really want to know? Ezra has friends other than me. I'm just the one she's closest too."

"I know, and that's why I'm worried."

"Is it really?" she questioned. "Because I don't think it is." Before he could reply she continued. "You don't spend a lot of time with her." She put a hand up to stop him from arguing with her. "I know that Ursa and Lu Ten need a lot of attention. They are unpracticed, emotional fire benders. Ezra is not. But don't think that just because she doesn't show it that it doesn't hurt her when you spend so much time with them and not her. That's the basis of your problem," The lightning bender finished, astonishing her uncle into a temporary silence.

He sighed; it was like talking to an adult. "We don't have anything in common."

Detia scowled and it looked so much like Azula that Zuko had to stop himself from smiling. 'That's a lame excuse, and I feel insulted you even said it. If there is nothing you have in common, then you make something. You're the parent; create a new hobby for yourself. Ezra loves to read for example.' His eyes lightened, after all it was a good idea. 'If that fails, Ezra is the type of person who keeps secrets. And she has a very big one. If you get her angry enough, you'll find out what that is, and you'll hopefully realize that it's something you can bond over.'

Zuko nodded and half wished he had something to write all of this down. "Thank y…"

'Don't thank me,' Detia interrupted angrily as she turned back towards where they came from. 'I'm doing this for her. So she won't have to go through what my mother went through growing up.'

The Fire Lord swallowed, feeling like he had been punched in the gut. Detia was right, of course, but it still hurt to hear. He watched as his niece, who probably still hated him, walked away from him and was struck by the knowledge that she was willing to give advice after what he did to her mother.

"Are you ready?" Undine inquired, leaning up against the door frame of the room they were in and listening to the people in the room gasp at what they were watching.

"Yes," Detia answered, she needed to get away to cool off.

"Mind if I join you?" The Earth Queen interrupted as she appeared by the door. "A lot of good it does me to listen to what's being shown without seeing it," She gave as her explanation.

Undine nodded with a smirk. "Sure, but we're going under the lake."

Toph grimaced but followed them anyways.

~x~

"That wasn't so bad," The Earth Queen admitted as they entered the caves under the lake, her tone giving away just how glad she was to be on solid ground. "This place is huge."

Undine nodded in agreement as she lead the way. "Angi and I were going to surprise you and bring the surprise to you, but we couldn't figure out how to get it to you. Lightning bender technology is a bit beyond us it seems."

"You know that I only ruled over the people of lightning. I don't necessarily understand how all the technology works." Detia admitted.

"Did my ears just deceive me?" Toph mocked lightly. "We had that recorded right?"

Undine laughed but shook her head. "No, the controls I guess you can call them, were designed for you to understand them. But some of the things they were talking about didn't make any sense to us."

"What are you talking about?" Detia questioned as she followed the water bender into a large cavern cast in blue. "What's in there?"

The water Goddess smiled and replied, "This is the laboratory of Dr. Sara, and in that room is the surprise we wanted to bring you."

Undine stopped and allowed Detia to venture into the room first, even though Toph could see what was in there already. The Earth Bender barely stopped herself from gasping at what she saw as Detia entered the room. Before she could actually examine the room, though, Undine directed her attention to one of the flashing screens. "Is this the only one that works?" Detia asked, as she watched the screen flicker.

"Yes," Undine answered, "I checked all the others."

Detia placed her hand on the active screen and an image pulled up. The image made her gasp loudly, sending freezing air into her lungs and making her cough. When the fit was over Detia examined the image on the screen. She recognized Linka first, dressed in her royal attire and then Dr. Sara standing beside her. But the thing that had her gasping was the small pale-haired child in her daughter's arms. She ran her fingers over the small child held so tenderly in Linka's arms. The action of running her fingers over the child flipped a switch in the room as the hum of generators, long since unused, filled the freezing air.

"What did you do?" Toph asked, not too concerned because the cavern seemed to be retaining its form.

Detia only shook her head, but didn't back away from the screen as scripts rushed over it. The lightning bender read over them just as quickly as they disappeared from the screen. Most of what she read she understood. She had somehow triggered the defrosting of one of the test tubes. The humming lowered as light flickered on from above and more script appeared on the screen, this time much slower than before. It was a sequence, from what Detia could gather. It had the number one followed by details of what was happening. After a few seconds, the number one turned to a number two and an image appeared.

"Mother," It was Linka, only she looked more worn and tired than Detia had ever seen her. "Or whoever receives this," the image forced a chuckle. "Well, I guess it would have to be my mother, she's the only one who can activate this." She waved a hand dismissively. "Anyways, Sara has completed the task you set out for her, and if you're watching this, then that means that you have started it." She paused and swallowed heavily. "We had a daughter, a beautiful little girl. We named her Lin after Sara's mother. Ironic I know. Anyways," again she swallowed "she, Lin, was diagnosed with Cardiac dysrhythmia. As you know, this was somewhat common in lightning benders. I know I had it. But with the fall of our kingdom the method used to cure it has vanished. So," Linka wiped her eyes, "when she didn't wake after an attack, we decided to preserve her." The recording skipped. "The process should be nearly finished." The sound of pressurized air releasing and the white clouds of smoke swishing across the floor distracted Detia. "Save my child…"

The screen went blank, but Detia had ventured over to where the air was releasing, noting that Toph had not entered the still mainly frozen room but Undine was standing beside a long cylinder object that was completely frozen over. "Detia," Undine said with a smile as she lifted the ice covered glass door and waved her hand to clear the ice. "This is Lin."

The lightning bender's expression was neutral as her chest filled with what she guessed was pure joy. The joy faded quickly as the reality hit her. What was she supposed to do with a child who was for all intents and purposes her granddaughter? She was still a child herself, she couldn't (and really didn't want to) take care of child. The little girl in the object looked like she was sleeping, sitting in the large pod-like object in a relaxed position with only the barest minimal amount of clothing on. Surprisingly, inside the pod was getting very warm, the ice that had frozen to Lin's golden hair melting.

Tentatively, Detia reached into the pod, tracing her granddaughter's smooth young face. She couldn't have been more than five. "What are you going to do?" Undine asked, breaking Detia from her thoughts.

'What can I do?' Detia responded, turning to look at her friend. 'What am I suppose to do?'

"Can you heal her of her disease?" The water goddess ignored the other last question, assuming that Detia did know what she was suppose to do.

Detia nodded as she turned back to Lin. Undine didn't even see her create the electrical energy but felt the air charge as Detia placed her hands on the girl's bare chest. The jolt caused Lin's small body to bow, her eyes wide open for only a second. Her body coursed with electricity even after it settled down. "Did you fix it?" Toph inquired from her position out of the room.

'No,' Detia answered, smiling as Lin's chest began to rise as she took her first breath in very long time. 'I just found the problem.'

"Oh, well I found her clothes," Toph informed.

Detia nodded, her mind far too focused on the small body before her than anything Toph said. With her hands still lingering over the girl's heart, Detia sent a smaller bolt into her granddaughter. Closing her eyes, the lightning goddess felt the electrical impulse fire through the chemical synapses as the girl revived from her long sleep. But those were not the impulses she was looking for, though she kept an 'eye' on them just to make sure there were no problems as they revived. She had to be fast and fix the problem before the heart started pumping again. Sending small bolts into the heart, Detia was able to temporally activate the sinus node, find where the electrical impulses were not communicating and fix them.

In theory, this was not hard to do. One merely had to be fast and understand the electrical impulses of the heart. But Detia could see how Linka would not be able to do this. It was taxing on the person healing. Even being a goddess, Detia could feel her energy levels decreasing rapidly. A normal lightning bender could not fix this. A heavenly maiden would have to be schooled and practiced in this field before trying it. When Hishou Raikou was still floating in the sky, there were three such maidens schooled in medicine, excluding Arjuna of course. Linka was not trained in medicine; she didn't want to be. Linka's art was in the martial skills, and while she knew a little medicine, she did not know near enough to do this.

Detia pulled back, bracing herself against the edge of the pod to stop herself from collapsing. She still kept an eye on Lin's electrical systems, but they seemed to be reviving normally. A rough hand fell on her back lightly, causing her to look up into blind green eyes. "You okay?" Toph asked as she handed whatever was in her hands, probably clothes, to Undine.

The lightning goddess nodded, "Just a little taxed."

"If I remember correctly, this was super hard to do." Toph remarked. "Is it done?"

Again Detia nodded. "Yes, it seems that all of her higher bodily functions are reviving normally, but only time will tell if there are any other side effects."

Toph hummed as she nodded, "So we can leave now? My feet are freezing."

Detia chuckled, "It should be okay." Her golden eyes turned back to her granddaughter, who really was sleeping now, as Undine buttoned the last silver button of the tunic. "Can you carry her?"

"Yeah." Toph answered casually as she lifted the sleeping girl in her arms. "Terren always wanted a daughter. I half expect that's why I'm a girl," she mused aloud.

"He had two sons, right?" Undine inquired, trying to remember.

"Three." Detia corrected and followed Toph out of the freezing cave.

Toph nodded, "Yeah, I have some fun memories of them tearing up my palace. But anyways, there are more cylinder things behind that wall of rock." She gestured with her head to the wall of fallen rocks. "We'll have to send teams down here to clear it out. The wall doesn't look stable."

Detia examined the wall through Toph's eyes, seeing the intact pods behind a half mile of fallen rocks. "It could take a while." She agreed verbally. "I wonder what's there."

"Maybe it's Linka and Sara," Undine offered, only half joking.

Detia smiled, that would be perfect. To have one of her daughters still alive would be one of the greatest things she could think of. "So, what are you going to do with this little one?" Toph inquired. "I mean you're still just a kid yourself."

"Uh…" Detia hesitated. "I haven't thought that far ahead." Toph and Undine stopped in their tracks, making Detia stop as well and turn to look at them. Both had an expression of shock on their faces. "What?"

"That is so unlike you," Undine remarked first, coming up to her friend and placing a cold hand on her forehead. "Are you feeling well?"

A white eyebrow arched before Detia slapped her friend's hand from her forehead. "I'm fine."

"I don't think you are," Toph agreed with Undine as she gently placed Lin on the ground and came up to Detia. "Waking this kid up is a monumental event. It'll affect everyone. It's not like you to simply do something without considering how everyone involved will react." Toph reasoned logically.

Silently, Detia cursed the earth bender's astuteness. "I'm fine, really," The lightning bender assured. "I've just been using a lot of energy I don't necessarily have yet. To increase certain abilities you have to push them close to their breaking point."

Undine crossed her arms and glared at her young friend. It was so easy to forget that Detia's body was really the body of a child and not just a chosen form. Her body was nowhere used to using the energy levels of her past self, which is probably why she was verbally speaking and not using her mind. Arjuna would have had no problem fighting the Earth Queen, healing her fractured jaw in less than a day, making someone forget, and waking her granddaughter from an unnatural sleep. Not to mention the things she did every day like talk mentally, and there was no telling what else Detia had done that she didn't tell anyone about. The old lightning goddess could have done all of that in an hour and still be unaffected. From the Earth Queen's firm stance, Toph seemed to have come to some conclusion. "How much energy do you have left?" the water bender inquired.

Detia didn't answer automatically, giving off the illusion that she was checking her energy levels. "Enough." She turned and continued walking down the tunnel. "You two worry too much."

Just as the words left her mouth Detia nearly tripped over a rock. She would have fallen to the ground if Toph hadn't acted quickly and caught her. "No," Toph stated firmly. "We, apparently, don't worry enough." Within seconds Toph had taken over the scene. "Undine, you carry the kid; she isn't that heavy." She looked down at the lightning bender, who refused to look up at her. "So stubborn," she remarked as she set Detia on her feet for a second before picking her up.

"I can walk," Detia argued, her hands fisting into Toph's tunic to gain her balance.

"No, you can't," Toph accused. "Just shut up and let me carry you. I don't remember Arjuna giving me such a hard time."

Detia huffed and crossed her arms defiantly, but ultimately gave in and allowed her energy to recharge as they made their way back to the Inn. She didn't know when she fell asleep, but her mother's angered aura woke her about ten feet from the Inn. Detia looked up at Toph, who hadn't noticed she was awake, or if she did, she didn't say anything. The little goddess noticed a few villagers trying to eavesdrop on whatever had her mother so angry while appearing inconspicuous. 'Put me down,' Detia ordered and without a word Toph stopped and set Detia on her feet.

Detia brushed herself of imaginary dirt from her clothing, mentally checking on the little blond in an adult Undine's arms. Lin was still asleep, but everything seemed to be working properly. The next thing she noticed was that her cousins and Aziza were standing outside the entrance of the Inn. That left her aunt, uncle, parents, and grandmother in the Inn. Agni too but the Fire Goddess had a tendency not to get involved in family spats. In the past Agni often let her children fight out their differences. So she might as well have not been there. 'What's going on?' Detia asked, getting the attention of her family as she approached them.

"Where have you been?" Lu Ten nearly yelled.

Detia ignored him as Ezra answered, "We don't know."

"Everything seemed fine," Aziza started. "We finished watching that thing you found in the box and we were just talking about it. Zuko touched Big Sis' shoulder and she tensed visibly. Then all hell broke loose."

The lightning bender nodded and entered the Inn. The crackle of charged electrons rang in her ears. Somehow they had managed to move from one of the living areas to the main entrance. Ty Lee stood next to Mai and Ursa at the far side of the entrance, away from the door. Azula stood facing an angry Zuko. "There are issues that we need to work out." Zuko all but yelled.

Though she wasn't as expressive as her brother, Azula was not happy with being accused of still needing to work out issues, even if that is not what Zuko meant by the comment. Sparks ignited from her mother's hands as she tried to grind her teeth together in order to stop herself from doing something rash. "No, there are issues you need to work out. I've worked out all of mine," Azula countered. "Until you pulled this recent stunt, I thought we were getting along just fine. We could actually stand to be in the same room together and have a decent heart to heart conversation without the quips and insults." Azula sighed when her golden eyes fell on her daughter, feeling calmer instantly. "You hurt me for reasons that I thought were long since over with." And it appeared it hurt her to even say it. "You need to come to terms with that. Not me."

Zuko growled, thinking that this was not all his fault. "Well," Detia interrupted, though she fully agreed with her mother. "As emotionally uplifting as this is, mother we have a slight dilemma."

Azula sighed in exasperation and placed a hand to her forehead – ignoring the light throb – that was the last thing she wanted hear. "What kind of dilemma? Please tell me you found gold or silver in the caves and need a way to bring it up."

Detia smiled, "Well, no." The smile widened when Azula whispered the word damn. "I found my granddaughter."

Ty Lee choked on air at that statement, and Azula only stared at her. "Please clarify," Azula asked after a second, noting the confused expressions on everyone's faces but Ty Lee's.

"I found Linka's daughter. She's outside asleep." She hesitated. "I'm not capable of taking care of her…"

"Of course not!" Ty Lee agreed adamantly. "You're only a child yourself."

Detia loved her mommy, only she would realize how much of a child Detia still was. "I don't know how much memory she'll have of her parents, and I don't know what to do with her. Whatever I do will be temporary though. I suspect that her parents are also down in the caves, but it could take years to dig them out. I can't leave her here though."

The room remained quiet just long enough for Undine to deem it safe and walk in room, stopping beside Detia with a still sleeping Lin in her arms. Ty Lee crossed the room in two seconds flat, examining the little girl in the woman she knew as Une's arms. "Is this her?"

Detia nodded, 'Her name is Lin.'

"Une?" Zuko finally managed. "What are you doing here?"

Undine ignore him and carefully shifted the child to Ty Lee's more than willing arms. Grey eyes turned towards bright golden ones, shining with love as the little girl nuzzled into the acrobat's neck, moving voluntarily for the first time since her waking. "Let's adopt her." Ty Lee stated in the form of a suggestion.

"What?" Azula argued, even though she knew it was a losing battle. "We already have a daughter. We don't need another one."

Ty Lee rolled her eyes. "Is great-grandma Azula being mean?" she baby talked the little girl, making her smile in her sleep.

"Seriously Ty Lee, I love you and everything, but if you ever call me that again, I cannot be held responsible for the things I do to you." Azula warned, completely serious. The acrobat only giggled at the very real and serious threat, warming Azula's heart. The ex-princess sighed, she did love the way the little girl looked in her wife's arms, the way her short hair the color of the rays of the sun splayed over Ty Lee's pink tunic. Her golden eyes softened momentarily before turning to her daughter. "If we do this, we are not replacing you by any means," she clarified.

A white eyebrow lifted, she had never considered that her parents might think about replacing her with Lin. 'How could you replace me?'

"We couldn't," Ty Lee agreed as she rocked Lin lightly. "You'll still be our baby girl."

"You'll still be her baby girl," Azula clarified as she moved to her wife and daughter…daughters she clarified mentally. She placed a hand on Detia's white hair, ruffling it lightly. "You'll be my little monster."

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

Of Fire

Chapter 26

Zuko watched as his little sister lay a gentle hand on golden yellow hair, a smile on her lips that he knew she would quickly hide behind a mask of neutrality if she knew she was doing it. He still didn't know what Une was doing there or how she even got there, but at the moment he didn't care enough to ask. His focus was on his sister and her family. Azula was right, he knew, they had built a cordial if not completely friendly relationship and he had been the one to destroy that fragile bond. He had been the one to betray her. If only he hadn't been so quick to judge that bond would still be in place. But now…Mai came to his side, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. The Fire Lord smiled at his consort, whose dull golden eyes turned to the little family and their new niece.

"You're so sensitive with children, Azula." The goddess of Fire's voice ruined the moment. "It's like you turn into an emotional…woman."

Azula's smile vanished in an instant as sharp golden eyes swerved towards the goddess. Agni didn't seem to be bothered by the glare she received, almost completely oblivious to it. The bolt of electricity that scorched the wood paneling beside her head was another matter all together, though. Her slotted red eyes immediately went to the young lightning bender and a glare donned Agni's tanned face as Detia started to chuckle. "Azula!" Zuko exclaimed, drawing Agni's attention to Azula just in time to see the ex-princess' smug expression fall.

"What?" Azula snapped.

The Fire Lord paused, noticing for the first time the small white sparks emitting from Azula's clenched fist. "You…you said…." He stuttered.

Azula growled lightly, truly tired of her brother and finding that her tolerance of him had greatly lessened. "Spit it out Zuko!"

He swallowed and stood straight, breathing in deeply to gain some kind of control. In order to further center himself he closed his eyes briefly before leveling his golden gaze at his sister. "You said you couldn't bend fire anymore."

A perfect black eyebrow lifted "And I can't." she answered curtly.

"But we just saw you produce lightning." Mai informed with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Azula rolled her eyes but before she could answer Angi interrupted in a growl. "You shot lightning at me?" Azula smirked at the goddess. "Why you insolent pup."

The fire goddess stepped once towards the older lightning bender but stopped when Detia stepped in front of her mother, her hands coming up in ready battle stance. A feral animal-like growl emitted from Agni's lips as her red eyes looked up into Azula's smug expression. "Why are you so surprised?" Une's voice washed over the room like a wave of calm, though Detia never dropped her stance. "Clearly you deserved it."

Agni's expression softened into a pout. "You're married to me, you're suppose to take my side."

It was Une's turn to roll her eyes. "That's not how this works." She stated evenly, gesturing mildly between herself and Agni.

"Wait," Zuko interrupted as everyone looked at him. He pointed a finger at Une and continued. "You're married to Agni? But I thought…."

'Doesn't miss anything, does he?' Detia intoned to her mother, the sarcasm in her tone making Azula smile genuinely.

Une sighed, gripping the bridge of her nose, before her gaze fell to the young Fire Lord. "My name is Undine. I am the goddess of water. My form, like all the other gods, is subjective. And I am married to Agni, the god of fire. I arrived at this city with my friend, Detia. Any questions?" The water goddess intoned deadpan.

"I have one." Ursa remarked with a slight raise of her hand as all attention turned to her. "Well, not so much a question as a request." Her eyes turned toward Agni. "I would ask that you not fight in my inn."

Agni jerked back in surprise. "Me? She started it." She gestured mildly to Azula. Ursa tilted her head just slightly as she regarded the god, not saying a word. Agni growled and crossed her arms. "Fine."

"Thank you." Ursa replied, as Detia bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

The Goddess of Fire plopped down on the couch, her arms still crossed and a scowl on her tanned face. Une sighed dramatically, but smiled warmly at her mate as she moved across the room to sit next to Agni. Detia watched Agni's expression soften instantly when Undine's hand landed on her knee. The lightning bender turned attention to her uncle when Une started to kiss her lover's cheek, moving the chaste kisses towards her lips all the while whispering sweet words of comfort. Zuko coughed, turning his back to the couple on the couch who seemed completely content to ignore everyone in the room. "So, Azula, you were going to tell us how you can bend lightning but not fire."

"I'm a lightning bender." She answered deadpan, amusing her wife and daughter.

"Since when?" he challenged.

Azula sighed, this was getting tiresome. "Since I was born, apparently." Before he could say anything she continued. "I guess I'm just that amazing."

He barely stopped his growl just as Lu Ten entered the room. "Queen Toph." The boy addressed.

Toph, who had been standing silently against the wall beside the door, tilted her head towards the Prince of the Fire Nation. "Yeah?" she questioned .

"Your carriages are here." He answered meekly.

The Earth Queen pushed herself off the wall and smiled broadly. "Excellent." She turned to her new head advisor and her family. "You guys ready to go?"

There was a moment's hesitation before Azula nodded, "Yes I believe we are."

~x~

Detia set in her own carriage, her sister/grand-daughter's golden hair splayed over her lap. It had taken a good half hour to get all of their things on the carriages and to say their goodbyes. What took the longest was Ursa's and Aziza's unwillingness to let Azula go. The two took up most of Azula's time with goodbyes – not that Azula wanted to say goodbye to anyone else. But finally they were on their way to Ba Sing Se. Detia was lucky to have her own carriage, or so Toph had informed. Of course the point was moot when Azula and Ty Lee agreed that should Lin wake it would be best that she see someone who looked somewhat familiar to her.

So far, Lin had remained sleeping even with the constant jostling from the carriage. Truth be told, Detia didn't notice the jostling either. One hand ran through Lin's hair as the other held a book. Linka's journal was pressed close to her face as she was thrust back to that time, right after the end of the War of the Gods. When a warrior like Linka was no longer needed

~x~

Linka walked aimlessly down the earthen path. There was nowhere for her to be, no one who really needed her. A person such as herself, with immense battle experience wasn't much needed in a time of peace. Sure, there were a few rebellions and there was always mercenary work. But she didn't enjoy it like she did battle. She freely admitted, though she probably shouldn't, that bloodlust was one of her most favored experiences. When she was younger and still living with her mother in the Kingdom of Lightning she never imaged that she would love battle as much as she did.

The mere thought of all that went into forming a battle plan and leading troops to victory made her blood boil. But like any good lightning bender she hid her less desirable emotions to all but her journal. And with no way to feel the emotion she contented herself with the odd mercenary jobs and guard details as she continued to search for more of her people. So far she had found three of them, just three who survived outside the walls of the Fire Kingdom. The small village she ventured into earlier that day told stories of a yellowed haired ghost (or monster depending on who she asked) who lived in the caves of the mountains.

Linka assumed – hoped – that it was one of her people who were smart enough to spread the rumors themselves. But even if it wasn't, the promise of the kill was just as enticing. She wondered when she became such a monster, though usually she didn't let it bother her. She was the way she was and nothing short of a miracle could change that.

A dark ominous cave loomed before her. The mumbled sounds of words seemingly floating from the mouth of the cave would send shivers down even the most seasoned warriors. Well, except for her. Linka entered the cave with preamble, engulfed in darkness almost instantly. A small ball of lightning solved that problem just as fast, leading the way deeper into the cave where the mumbling got louder. She entered a large cavern suddenly, the small light from the ball of lightning doing nothing to help her see into the blackness.

Unperturbed, Linka followed the voice. The ball of lightning was doing its best to light her path. The princess entered a small downward slopping tunnel, leading her further down in to the cave. The instant she saw the warm glow of a fire she extinguished her light and walked soundlessly forward. There was no use scaring whoever – or whatever – was in the room beyond. The mumbling, still incoherent sounds, stopped as Linka reached the opening of another cavern.

What she saw confused her. Papers were strewn everywhere, over the only table and bed, spilling onto the floor and near a tubular like object. The language was of her people, she knew that with just a glance. But the mathematical problems and scribbled lines made no sense to her, science was never her strongest subject. Gingerly, Linka leaned over and picked up the parchment, examining it. She had no idea what it said or what the crude drawing what suppose to be of. But the other presence in the room was what she was really focusing on. For reasons that she couldn't understand she couldn't pinpoint where this person was.

Whoever it was, was moving around frantically. Only to late did she realize the person was behind and above her. Linka turned just in time to throw her arms up to block a heavy blow from a pipe. Strands of electricity ran from Linka's fingers but the pipe was not metal and whatever it was made of didn't conduct electricity. A strand of silk shot forward but the person saw the attack and jumped back, just out of reach. With the new distance Linka could examine her enemy. Her heart was already pumping with anticipation for battle.

Her heart froze when her brain registered what her sharp golden eyes were seeing. The woman in front of her was ragged. Her dark golden curls shot up in greasy stingy strands, tangled from what could have been years of abuse. Had her hair been taken care of Linka imagined that she would have been a rather attractive woman, she had the features of an aristocrat: sharp high cheeks and narrow nose. But her lack of care for herself had her golden eyes sunken in and hallow, dark rings hanging like black curtains from them. Though she was clothed in filthy tattered layers of white the clothing did nothing to hide the fact that she looked like she hadn't eaten in days.

Linka's heart sank, not only was this poor woman a sad excuse for a member of her people but she wouldn't be any form of a challenge. The lightning bender was sure she could break the woman in half just by looking at her. The woman tilted her head, her narrowed golden eyes reflecting the lack of complete sanity. "Who are you?" the woman asked, almost sounding human except for the slow droll in which she spoke. Had she been sane Linka was positive her soft mezzo-soprano voice would send many a hearts a flutter. Before Linka could respond the woman answered her own question with a deranged chuckle. "You've come to take my technology. I should have known. Here to take the only thing I have left."

"That isn't true." Linka remarked defiantly, the least she could do as the crown princess of her nation was try to mend the woman's broken mind. "I'm here to help."

The woman seemed to think this over before her eyes turned to Linka once more. "Lies!" the woman yelled, flying toward the warrior with speed someone in her state should not possess.

Linka had to force herself not to attack, which of course distracted her enough for her not to pay attention to her surroundings. She had taken a single step back to defend herself and slipped on one of the many pieces of paper. Her vision went black as her head smacked into the solid hard ground.

The next time she woke she was lying on a pallet-like object being dragged by the woman deeper into the cave. The woman was muttering to herself, her head jerking to look around a few times before light filled the cave. Linka did not move, her own sticky blood caking her hair to her scalp. A flitter of the thought that the woman was truly insane crossed her mind as she realized that neither her hands nor her feet were bound. The warrior made sure to close her eyes again as the pallet stopped moving and was set gently down on the ground. From the sound of her bare feet hitting the solid ground the woman walked off, towards the sound of water. Carefully, Linka cracked a golden eye open to watch her.

The running water was coming from a natural underground stream and the woman was knelt over it. Before she could examine where she was the woman turned and Linka closed her eyes again. The woman's presence moved closer and knelt down beside the prone princess. A damp cloth and cool water touched Linka's head gingerly. "I know you're awake, Princess." The voice was logical and calm, whatever insanity she may have had taking a moment's leave. Linka opened her eyes to stare into clear gold. "You must forgive me." The woman continued, "Ever since the fall I seem to be prone to bouts of insanity." Linka tried to sit up but the woman pushed her shoulders back down. "Do not move. You hit your head pretty hard."

Linka brushed the woman's hands away and set up anyways, ignoring the sudden dizziness as best she could for a moment. Once the dizziness was gone Linka focused her gaze on the woman, who still looked the exact same except with a slight clarity to her pale golden eyes. "What happened to you?" Linka asked. "Why did you attack me if you knew who I am?"

The woman's eyes cast to the ground. "I thought you were a hallucination." She answered honestly. "If you can't tell from the bags under my eyes I don't sleep well and that along with other things tend to catch up to me."

"Other things?" Linka inquired, willing to play her old role of psychiatrist.

The woman sighed and turned away slight, "My name is Sara."

It clicked instantly for the lightning bender princess, "Dr. Sara?" the princess intoned in slight shock. So far all of her people that she had found or who were living in the Fire Kingdom were nothing more than lower or middle class – excluding her sisters of course. "As in the only daughter of Baron Markus, the first advisor for my mother?"

Sara's smile was forced and sad, "One in the same, princess. I'm surprised you know of me. I didn't interact with people much."

A perfect white eyebrow lifted, "Why wouldn't I know you? You were…are a genius."

The chuckle that came from the woman was harsh and cold, "Some genius." She mocked. Linka hissed lightly as she moved too suddenly towards the woman and Sara was right at her side instantly, dabbing lightly at her head wound. "You shouldn't move too quickly." Sara chastised softly. "I think you've had a slight concussion."

Again, the warrior shoved the helpful hand away. "Sara what happened to you?" a long hand cupped the scientist's cheek, a long finger running over the black circles under Sara's eyes.

Sara sighed and turned away from the comforting hand, "I was talking to my family when the kingdom was attacked. I watched from here." Her pale eyes glazed over with unshed tears. "I watched them die."

To her credit, Sara didn't cry and she didn't even seem to need to force herself stop. Sara rubbed her eyes though there was no need for it. Linka frowned, she could only image the nightmare that must be Sara's life. The princess had been on the floating Island when it fell and even though she wasn't a warrior at the time she still managed to hold her own against the enemy and save some of her people. All Sara could have done was watch in her cave, all alone, unable to do anything. It did explain why Sara was the way she was though. "Sara, I'm…"

"Don't apologize." Sara interrupted, the anger in tone baffling. "It's too late for that." She sighed as if calming herself. "I'm just glad I'm not the last. Are there many more of us?"

The hopeful expression on Sara's worn face broke Linka's heart, which the warrior didn't think was even possible anymore. She didn't look at the doctor when she answered, "No. There are about twenty-four of us that I've found so far. Twenty-five including you."

"Oh." Was Sara's remark.

Linka didn't need to look up in order to see the pain in Sara's eyes, it was evident in her voice. The doctor sighed heavily as she stood, scolding herself for getting her hopes up. At the movement Linka jerked in her direction, causing another wave of dizziness. Through sheer force of will the dizziness subsided just in time for her to watch the doctor walk to a small pallet in the corner of the surprisingly well lit cave and lay down. Linka didn't say a thing and neither did Sara but it did give the princess a chance to look around the room. From what Linka could remember before the fall Sara and her family had been very very well off, obviously, considering her father's status. Sara herself was not known to flaunt her wealth, in fact she was somewhat infamous for it. But none of the old rumors could prepare Linka for the room she was in. Aside from the pallet (that was probably once a bed), only a small bedside table was occupying the room.

Clothes were scattered about the room, some even soaked in the stream as if they were going to be washed but had been long forgotten. Like the first room Linka entered this room was also covered in papers, not nearly as many as the one above but still a lot. Linka stood gingerly, fully realizing how far her fellow countryman had fallen as her sharp eyes caught the familiar sight of blood in the shape of balled fists and streaking hands on the walls.

"Mama."

~x~

Detia jumped abruptly at the word that interrupted her reading, instantly looking to the small child. Lin hadn't moved, aside from the rise and fall of her chest and her breathing hadn't changed so she was still very much asleep. The lightning bender shrugged, maybe she had imagined it. She looked down at her daughter's journal, intent on continue reading it but a knock on the door interrupted her. Detia didn't even bother to answer it, she already knew who it was. There was really only one person who would knock on the door of a carriage while it was still moving.

There was knock again but the person at the door didn't bother waiting and just entered. 'Toph.' Detia addressed as she placed her book down gently and turned her full attention to the Earth Queen.

"Detia." Toph remarked as she set. "We'll arrive in about an half-hour. Just thought I'd warn you."

Detia nodded and waited as Toph remained seated. 'Is there something else?' she asked after a full minute of silence.

"Hmm?" The Earth Queen started, as if she was staring off into space and paying no attention to anything around her. "Oh, naw, I just thought it'd play a joke on my guards by not being in my carriage when we arrive. They're so stuffy and need to relax a little."

Detia smirked, one hand going to Lin's hair. 'I see.'

"She still hasn't woken up." Toph stated more than asked. "Is that normal?"

The lightning bender looked down at the child sleeping in her lap then back up at the Earth Bender. 'I honestly don't know. Everything seems to be in working condition.'

As if she knew she was being talked about the little girl stirred, rolling onto her other side so that her face was pressed into Detia's abdomen before settling down again. "Mama." The little girl replied with a soft hum of contentment.

All was silent for the three minutes this was taking place. "Guess she's doin fine."

'She'll probably wake up soon.'

They set in a comfortable silence for a moment. Both content to think their own thoughts. Toph chuckled lightly, 'What's so funny?' Detia inquired.

"Nothing." Toph answered though the smile still donned claimed her features. Detia only looked at her. "It's just that this reminds me of Terren and Arjuna. They use to sit in silence for the longest times."

'Hm.' Detia said thoughtfully. 'I don't remember that.'

Toph waved her hand in an un-alarming manner, "It'll come with time."

The lightning bender merely nodded, 'I suppose.' She paused, trying to find a tactful way to word her next question.

The Earth Queen rolled her eyes. "You wanna know how and when I happened, don't you." Detia only smiled and nodded. Toph sighed dramatically as if she was giving a huge gift to the lightning bender by telling her this story and for all Detia knew the Earth Queen more than likely was. "Has your mother or anyone told you about my life before I entered the 100-year long war?"

Detia thought, going through her memories before answering, 'A little. I know you were considered a runaway and a delinquent.'

Toph snorted and mumbled, "Leave it to them to remember the bad things."

'So it wasn't true.'

"Oh no it was true." Toph admitted with a chuckle as she crossed one leg over the other and leaned her head back against her hands. "I was rebelling against my parents, and society and everyone really."

'Didn't it get tiresome?'

Again the Earth Bender chuckled. "Na, I don't think I'd mind running off and doing something irresponsible now."

'Well, technically you are; sitting my carriage as opposed to your own to scare your guards.' Detia pointed out. Toph scowled at Detia's comment, knowing she said it just to be brat. 'So, how did it start?'

Toph sighed still not looking at the lightning bender. She really wasn't sure she wanted to talk about this subject. Her closest friends didn't even know the things she was about to reveal to this child. Never once had she talked about it, with anyone. She was reluctant to begin but her memories flashed back a long time ago to when she was still Terren and the child in front of her was Arjuna. Terren trusted Arjuna with his life, more than his life. Arjuna was his world, though he never said as much to the goddess, and he could tell her anything.

Blind eyes looked to the young goddess. Detia wasn't a far cry from Arjuna, mentally, and even though there was no romantic relationship between them whatsoever Toph still found herself trusting the child more than anyone else. The lightning bender was waiting patiently for Toph to begin, feeling and seeing the conflicting emotions rampage through the older woman. She was about the tell Toph that it was okay if she didn't want to talk about it. But the Earth Bender started before the words even fully processed in Detia's mind. "I started having dreams about my past when I was ten." Toph started, "I didn't understand what they were, I figured they were just dreams. Unusually vivid dreams in full color which was odd considering I can't see." She paused. "I'm told you were younger."

Detia nodded and answered verbally, "My first dream happened the night I was born."

Toph chuckled, "Bet that sucked for your parents." This time Detia only nodded, "Mine weren't nightmares though, as I imagine yours were. I didn't have dreams of random acts of violence. Most of them were rather peaceful or I was doing something amazing. I started doing the things in my dreams, the movements and katas. It was easy but I hid my ability from everyone. Unlike your parents, who expect great things from you, mine expected the opposite. So I kept it a secret from them and joined the Earth Rumble Tournament as the Blind Bandit. And I was good, better than anyone else as I'm sure you expect. I was the champion, undefeated. But it wasn't enough, I knew that.

"Then Aang showed up, wanting me to teach him Earth bending. I thought, 'this is my chance to make something of myself for real. To show my parents and the world that I'm some weak helpless blind girl.' By then the dreams were getting more involved and detailed."

"Did you tell anyone about them?"

"No, they wouldn't understand. How could they, I didn't even understand them. They accepted me into their group, but I was still the odd man out. I didn't mind, I could be myself around them. After the war I started to drift away."

"Why?" the lightning bender inquired.

Toph shrugged, "There were a few reasons. The dreams started get more vivid and violent I was finding it hard to sleep and I'd wake up so depressed. And it didn't help that I had a crush on Katara." Toph didn't need eyes to see the surprise on Detia's face and she chuckled. "From the very beginning I liked Katara but she never even noticed me, at least not like I wanted her too."

"Did you ever tell her?"

Toph sighed, "Not in so many words." She answered. "She was clearly conflicted about her feelings for Aang, I didn't want to make things more complicated for her. However, about a two years after the end of the war we all got together. It was the anniversary of the end of the war or something. We were all drunk and I kissed her. Not a friendly little kiss but…"

"I…I don't want to know." Detia interrupted, reading from Toph's emotions that the Earth Queen was only saying what she was because she knew Detia still thought kissing was disgusting.

Toph chuckled, "So anyways after that I ran and I didn't contact them for six years."

Detia made a confirmative sound. "What happened after six years?"

"I died." The Earth Bender waited for a shocked intake of breath but the Lightning Bender made no sound of surprise, forgetting momentarily who was talking to. After a moment of silence Toph continued. "I was on my way to another tournament. It was located that top of a mountain and the path I was taking was deemed 'traitorous'. Being me I ignored it, because it was the fastest way. I'm not sure how it happened really, maybe I was too tired to react fast enough or something but I stepped on a not so solid rock. It crumbled, and I fell over the side into rapids. We both know what happens when we die." Toph felt Detia nod. "I woke a few weeks later, obviously it took me longer than you, laying partially hidden in underbrush."

"No one was looking for you?"

Toph shook her head in the negative. "Not a soul and that hurt. So, I decided it was time to settle down. Bumi made me an offer after the war to train the troops and I went back to see if the offer still stood. It didn't but I got to be his second in command instead."

"How did Katara react to you after you returned?"

"She acted like it didn't happen and I was okay with that."

Detia tilted her head slightly, examining the woman in front of her. "It didn't hurt to see Katara so happy with the Avatar?"

Toph pondered the question before deciding that honesty was best when concerning the Lightning Bender. "A little, but I dealt with it. Besides I had someone else that I loved more than that. Her picture was an up in Terren's room, ya know." She watched Detia's body language as the girl tensed, aware of who Toph was referring to. "She was beautiful and he loved her."

"He never said so." Detia all but mumbled.

"I know, it was the only thing he ever regretted, not telling her. Over time, as his feelings became my own, it became something I regretted too." She stood and smiled at the little girl sitting in front of her, leaning over and kissing her gently on the forehead – feeling the heat from Detia's blush against her lips. "You'll understand when you're older." Detia touched her head where Toph had kissed her and turned just in time watch the Earth Bender exit the carriage. "Come on, we're here."

TBC.


End file.
